In early March, NMB48 released its guidebook, the NMB48 Complete Book 2012. This marks the first time the Osaka-based group has released an official guidebook since its formation in October of 2010. With pages covering the whole of NMB48 (this includes teams N, M and all the research students), the book is a hefty one. Described by some members as a book where you can “learn everything” about NMB48, what does it have in store for the fans?

Stickers of all members.

The first thing you see when you open the book is a set of stickers depicting all the members in various clothes (ostensibly, their own). While personally I’ve never found the use of small stickers like these, I’m sure others would beg to differ.

Interview with Yamada Nana.

This is followed by interviews with the Top 3 members of NMB48, namely Yamada Nana, Watanabe Miyuki and Yamamoto Sayaka. They speak of their experiences over the past one and a half years, and how far they’ve come since then. It gives fans an insight on how these girls (who represent the group as a whole) think about their own fame. Also included is an interview with the producer of the 48 groups, Akimoto Yasushi.

A page for Kinoshita Haruna.

Team M member Hikawa Ayame.

The 3rd generation research students get a page each.

The pages are standard fare for guidebooks, with questions on their preferences, likes and several lifestyle questions. There are also small pieces of profile information, like their nicknames and date of birth. Of note are the write ups that each girl does on herself. The topic seems to be open; Shiroma Miru starts off by saying how she cries really easily. Also included at the end of each team’s section are some things they were made to do: for example, Team N’s has a tabulation of their answers to a survey.

The timeline of NMB48.

After the member pages end start a section named ‘NMB48 CHRONICLE’, where they trace NMB48′s history, from the first day of auditions to February 2012. Giving an overview of all the important happenings, this spread provides easy reference to satisfy any fan’s curiosity.

Photos from Team N in Singapore.

The subsequent pages recount the milestones in NMB48′s career, with events such as the Rock Paper Scissors tournament and Team N’s visit to Singapore last year. In addition to shots of the girls performing, fans also get a glimpse of what it’s like backstage.

An interview with Kaneko Takeshi.

Those interested in what it’s like to be the manager of NMB48 would be glad to see that there’s also an interview with Kaneko Takeshi. The NMB48 manager gives his opinions on the goings-on in NMB48, and what challenges they faced at the start.

Candid shots of the members.

The book comes to a close with off-shots of the members and pages describing various signed goods as well as introducing readers to the discography of NMB48.

The A3-sized poster included with the Complete Book.

All in all, the book is a great buy for both new and old fans alike. The complete profiles of all the members are available, with all the information one could possibly want being provided in the members’ individual pages. Coupled with solo shots (for the ones officially placed into teams), the NMB48 Complete Book is worth the 1429yen it costs to purchase it.

On the 1st of March, one half of SKE48′s double Matsui combination released her photobook, Kingyo. Transliterated to Goldfish, the photobook is Matsui Rena’s first solo photobook, making it the first one from the SKE48 family. Even at the time of writing this, Kingyo is still in the top 5 of Amazon Japan’s best-seller ranking, nearly a month from its release date. We take a peek…

Behind the camera for Kingyo is Marutani Yoshihisa. A photographer for various advertisements and magazines, Yoshihisa has under his belt works for companies like Epson, Calbee and was also responsible for photos taken to promote the AKB48 single, Namida Surprise. So him being in charge for Rena’s photobook comes as no surprise, nor is the resulting quality of the book.

Starting off the first pages.

When Kingyo was first announced, many fans (including this writer) wondered what kind of book it would be. Matsui Rena, not known for having the most robust of figures, would certainly be an ill-fit for anything that showcased her body. Of course, considering the high bikini content of most idol photobooks, most fans wrote Kingyo off as destined for failure.

One of many shots showcasing her legs.

It turns out that these worries were for naught. While there were still some rather provocative shots in the photobook, frontal shots of Rena were obviously avoided, showing a great deal of awareness on the photographer’s part of Rena’s shortcomings.

Putting Rena in different dresses.

Instead, Yoshihisa took advantage of Rena’s thin stature to showcase a variety of dresses and get-ups, utilizing her as a model to show off cocktail dresses and casual wear not unlike what one might see in everyday Japan.

More from the cover shoot.

The book also contains a few well done 2-page spreads. Most photobooks use such spreads to showcase the model’s full body length, which turns the center binding into very visible distraction of the photo. Kingyo uses spreads to instead showcase landscapes, allowing for wider composition of shots.

Great landscape spreads.

Thematically, this photobook is top-notch. While some may complain of the relative depression of the photobook, much of the book is allegory to Rena’s own existence as an idol. It showcases the happiness one gains from one’s job, and slowly gets darker as the day ends and she retreats to her home after work. The time of day seems to reflect the mood in the photos; the night shots are broody, while the day shots happy and bright.

Close-up shots of Rena in the rain.

All-in-all, Kingyo is a photobook beyond my own expectations. By playing off Rena’s strengths (that lie in her ability to convey emotions) and not forcing the shots (like with unneeded bikini photos), what turns out is a result that would surprise even the Rena fan.

The poster that comes with the photobook.

I would gladly recommend Kingyo to first-time photobook buyers. Its thickness and quality make it a no-brainer purchase, especially at the cheap price point of 1429 yen. Hopefully, this trend continues with other photographers. I for one, would like to see more of Fashion Rena, and less of Swimsuit Rena.

In celebration of her turning 20, Maeda Atsuko’s new photobook has been released. Titled Bukiyou (不器用, Clumsy), the book is Maeda’s fifth since debuting as an AKB48 member. Following a gap of nearly two years since the release of her photobook trilogy, Bukiyou follows Maeda on a trip to Paris. Fashion photographer Nakamura Kazutaka takes the rein for Bukiyou. While he has photographed celebrities like Fujii Rena or Tanaka Rena in the past, much of his experience has been with advertisements and fashion shoots. How does the more street-oriented Bukiyou compare to its predecessors?

Sharing some laughs with locals.

The photobook itself seems to look (and feel) more like a travel diary than it does a simple collection of photos. While this could be intentional, it does give the reader the feeling of being able to see the real Maeda Atsuko interacting with the sights, sounds and people of Paris.

A collage of photos of Maeda eating.

Bukiyou takes advantage of Acchan’s voracious appetite, with many shots of the idol eating and even a collage that consists mostly of photographs of Maeda and food. She has expressed more than once her desire to visit Paris, and Bukiyou captures her delight at being able to walk the streets of the city of light.

A precursor to the more revealing shots.

Of course, it is widely known that many do buy photobooks for the raunchy photos you might get, especially when considering the previous Acchan photobooks. While a photo of a hand-bra had fans up in arms about the inappropriateness, the shots were all tastefully done and showcase Maeda’s versatility as a photography model. Of course, it being Paris means there aren’t any bikini photos in the whole book. Instead, those are substituted with lingerie and not-so-subtle cleavage photos.

While not many, the two page spreads are great.

However, the photobook does have some flaws. While it gains points for sticking to a diary theme and does it well, the same street-photography mantra results in technical issues with many of the photographs. The photobook is rife with photos that are out-of-focus or blurry; there are some where this is justified, the blur showing movement and creating excitement. In others, this just seems to be a case of bad photo choice. As an aside, the cover of the book is not in crisp clear focus either.

It's not our photograph, it's really that blurry.

It was a little disappointing to see that there were not many shots of her in different outfits, or trying out some fashion shots, given the location the shoot is staged in. However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor complaint that doesn’t lessen the experience.

A fold-out poster-cum-diary comes with the book.

Thematically, Acchan’s new photobook is great. Fans both new and old will love the candid feel of Bukiyou as they follow her exploits in Paris. The thematic success of the book is marred, however, by the large amounts of blurry photographs within. Nevertheless, it is a good buy, although some might be wary should they want to obtain it for tips on good photography.

Released last month, Amita is the photo book featuring SUPER☆GiRLS member Maeshima Ami (前島亜美), who also goes by the title’s nickname. As one of the group’s most prominent members, this is Maeshima’s, as well as SUPER☆GiRLS first foray into gravure books. Maeshima, known for her kung-fu kicking antics on TV, brings her megawatt smile into this softcover compilation.

Front cover. The book itself is a larger size akin to hardcover ones.

Actual cover.

Comes with stickers for some reason. Including large full body ones.

This particular copy came signed.

Amita is a gravure book in the most typical sense. Ignoring the fact that she is the group’s youngest member, the majority of the books 80 pages are filed with bikini photos. And while she is never put in a compromising position, the contents will likely put some people off. But if you’ve purchased any other idol book before, you’ll know what to expect.

Opens up straight with some beach photos.

Just happy pictures.

Colorful, happy pictures.

Short personal write up from Maeshima about her SUPER☆GiRLS activities.

The photographer in question here is Toru Tokunaga (徳永徹) who I am unfamiliar with. I haven’t managed to find any other works credited to him other than this book. Thankfully, the shots are pretty well taken.

Notably absent are any of the usual glum, artsy type photographs found in other gravure books. While it is refreshing, this also makes it feel like there is generally no theme to any of the pictures. But the attention seeking idol, who has had experience modelling for fashion magazines works well with the photographer to bring a plentiful number of lighthearted shots.

Indoor shoot.

Rather straight forward.

Pajama theme.

Another short essay, this time on her modelling work.

Simply put, this is a book of happy pictures for Maeshima fans. Everyone else will see no point to it.

Shopping.

Some history, childhood photos and unnecessarily detailed statistics.

Ending note.

On a side note, I may have been missing it but as far as I can tell, this book does not come with a keycode for Maidoru! SUPER☆GiRLS.

Amita is available online for 1900 yen.

With SDN48 performing an amazing final concert in Singapore last weekend, I guess now would be as good a time as any to look through this photo book by one of the group’s most prominent members. Though she had worked with gravure prior to joining SDN48, Secret Serina is Serina’s first actual book. It is especially notable for being produced by one of the finest photographers, Kawashima Kotori.

Secret Serina was released last November but with plentiful scans all over the internet, I hadn’t found the motivation to open it sooner. As mentioned above this is Serina’s first own photo book. Though prior to this, the 26 turning 27 year old model had appeared in one of Kobayashi Motoyuki “schoolgirl” books as a youth.

Now as one of SDN48′s centers, Serina has teamed up with the talented Kawashima Kotori. While Kawashima has worked with some AKB48 members on magazine shoots in the past and are responsible for some of their most impressive photos ever, this was his first time publishing a book with any of the 48 family members.

Deceptive Obi.

Back cover.

This particular copy was autographed by Serina herself.

Kawashima’s powerful imagery attracted the attention of the internet back in 2010, when he released Mirai-chan, a wonderful collection of superrealist photos of his friend’s daughter. In typical internet fashion, his pictures went viral among the English speaking world as  ”amazing photographs taken by a Japanese mother”.

Photos by Kawashima Kotori.

Quite a nice collection of photos.

Arbitrary bikini shots.

As you can see, Secret Serina features a rather dreamy collection of photographs. Most of the shots inside were taken outdoors in daylight, giving the photos a natural but expressive feel. The themes here are not as bold as those found in Mirai-chan and are more typical gravure affair but as in his past works, Kawashima Kotori manages to work in a lot of nature into the shots.

100 Questions.

Fave list.

Pretty comprehensive interview.

Pictures from 2007-2011.

About 1/4 of the book is dedicated to more candid content, such as an interview, list of Serina’s likes and Q&A section. This is a pretty good balance that adds value to the contents without actually distracting from the photos. Photo books that feature just photos tend to get boring after a while (such as Hello! Project’s) while those from more popular fashion models tend to have so much other contents that they turn into a scrapbook of endorsements instead.

Mostly outdoor shoots.

Another occuring theme in such books.

Dreamy lighting.

Overall, Secret Serina as a pretty good buy. Even the necessary bikini sections are handled tastefully here. The photos might not tell as much of a story as Kawashima’s other works and certainly aren’t his best, but are still nice shots.

Saucy section.

Candid pictures from while making the book.

Messages from her friends.

Ending note. In typical Serina playfulness.

Ultimately, I would recommended Secret Serina to any Serina fans if they haven’t already gotten it. Though as a friend pointed out, this is actually the first photo book I have bought. But surely that has got to count for something.

For those interested, Secret Serina still widely available at online stores for 1700 yen.

Last month, SUPER☆GiRLS made their inevitable debut into mooks with the iDOL Street Official Book Vol.1 Winter 2012. Judging from the title, it’s the first in a series of seasonal books chocked full of photographs and coverage of SUPER☆GiRLS and iDOL Street related events. This first issue takes on the task of introducing readers to the two fairly new groups and all of its members.

The iDOL Street OFFICIAL BOOK Vol.1 is oddly published by Sony Magazines and available at major retailers and web stores for 1,575 yen. It’s a fairly standard sized mook, weighing in at 87 pages but the contents are invaluable enough to warrant notice.

iDOL Street OFFICIAL BOOK Vol.1.

Back cover.

The book opens up with an introduction to all of the members from the two groups, starting with of course, the SUPER☆GiRLS seniors. You’ll find lots of excellent, full color photos spread throughout all of the mook’s pages.

Introductory spread of all the members.

SUPER☆GiRLS.

Despite its less than overwhelming size, there are some great reads inside. Instead of providing a simple, statistical comparison of all the members, profiles come in the form of handwritten answers to a series of simple questions.

This adds a really nice personal touch to this segment of the book and is something I haven’t seen in any mook other than the SKE48 Complete Book. SUPER☆GiRLS takes it one step further though by adding more colorful emotes to their answers.

Profiles for each of the members.

Handwritten answers.

Colorful collage.

The member profiles are broken apart by colorful photo collages shot exclusively for the mook, these contribute to the overall happy, playful theme of the book.

Also instead of the usual write ups you get on each member’s achievements as typical of AKB48 mooks, the remaining space here is filled by a couple of longer Q&A answers direct from the respective members themselves. This keeps in line with the personable feeling of the book and lets you learn some genuinely new information about each member.

Amita!

Rather than a write up, each profile is a Q&A with that member.

More collages.

Street Students.

The book also provides profiles for the first 18 iDOL Street Project Members, who are split up into the Kanto based east street and Kasai’s west street. They don’t get the large full page photos or more elaborate Q&A like their SG counterparts but do retain the handwritten profiles.

I must admit, one of my reasons for purchasing this book was so that I could put some names to the alien iDOL Street members I had seen performing the day before.

Smaller but still handwritten segments.

Interview with the group's producer, staff and more.

There is a certain amount of input from the production staff inside. You’ll find two long interviews with iDOL Street’s producer and B.L.T’s editor as well as some short snippets from the group’s dance instructor and makeup artists. One segment that really caught my attention though was a two page spread showing off the concept art for the girls’ costumes from their Chouzetsu Shoujo concert.

Their fashion designer is a particularly good an artist, capturing many of the girls nuances and considering them well. This explains the group’s rather awesome costumes. I really hope that future issues of the magazine continue to feature this “Costume Check” segment.

Really amazing concept art for the girls' outfits.

The later half of the mook covers some of the memorable moments in iDOL Street’s short history. But instead of simple timeline of events, it is presented in the form of a 4 page free for all discussion between the members of SUPER☆GiRLS. Here they recount some interesting and embarrassing events from the group’s conception, concert and practices.

SUPER☆GiRLS timeline.

Here we see coverage of the two groups’ recent lives, the SUPER☆GiRLS Chouzetsu Shoujo Joshiryoku Paradise Vol.3 / 4 at Shibuya BLAZE and iDOL Street Kirakira Holiday at Shibuya WOMB. Photographs are plentiful and again, you’ll find excerpts from each member’s post concert thoughts. There are also candid photos from some of the groups’ other excursions.

Concert reports.

For iDOL Street too.

Behind the scenes photos.

To top things off, we have another photo shoot for the purpose of the book at the back, this time set to a party theme. Like the rest of the book (and pretty much everything produced under the SUPER☆GiRLS branding) there’s a very strong graphic quality here. For once, you can tell that attention has been paid to the mook’s layout rather than haphazardly pasted together.

I’m not sure who is responsible for this or if it’s even a conscious effort but whatever SG is doing they are doing right. It could be that they just have the right people for each job.

A fun photo shoot.

A strong graphic style.

Behind, there are some additional segments with the book in mind. Here the SUPER☆GiRLS members spend some of their free time decorating compact cases. The section comes with an usually detailed recounting of how the girls decorated them.

The mook comes with a lucky draw mailer that gives you a chance to win one of the member decorated mirrors. The iDOL Street members also do a little crafts and physical challenges on a separate occasion.

Art and craft session.

Physical challenges.

A chance to win the items decorated by the members.

The mook also comes with a poster, probably randomly selected of either SUPER☆GiRLS or the iDOL Street Project Members. Unfortunately, here I got the later.

Overall, the iDOL Street OFFICIAL BOOK Vol.1 comes as a worthwhile buy for any fan of the group, or anyone beginning to find interest in these idols. And even if SUPER☆GiRLS related merchandise were not as scarce, I’d still recommend it simply for the quality of its contents.

And as with all other SUPER☆GiRLS merchandise, the book comes with a keycode for the Maidoru! SUPER☆GiRLS online social system. Entering the code immediately unlocks for you a spiffy trophy and a 150 PP bonus. It also opens up 3 sequential secret quiz missions that will reward an additional 120 PP when completed.

I’ve included the answers for the quizzes below for those who need the help. Stay tuned for a full guide on how to register and use Maidoru! SUPER☆GiRLS coming soon.

Bonus poster.

セルフポートレートのコーナーで、うさぎの耳をつけていたのは、さおりーぬ、あみた、あともう一人は誰?
In the “Self-Portrait” corner, the ones wearing rabbit ears are Saoriinu, Amita and another one more person who is?
A: ぴの (Pino)

Look Back to SUPER☆GiRLSのコーナーで、ごっちゃんが愛の告白をした相手は誰?
In the “Look Back to SUPER☆GiRLS corner, who is the one to receive Gocchan’s confession of love?
A: るか (Ruka)

デコNo.1決定戦で、最後まで居残りしてたのは誰?
In the “Deco No.1 Contest”, who ends up staying overtime?
A: みやり (Miyari)

Today we look at another, newer SKE48 book, SKE48 Bukatsu Damashii (Club Spirit) by Fusosha Publishing. Released in September, the book features many candidly taken photographs, set to the book’s extracurricular activity theme.

SKE48 Bukatsu Damashii.

SKE48 Bukatsu Damashii differs from most other mooks in that text is kept to a minimum. This may be a good or bad thing depending on the individual.

Lots of photos within.

Candid photographs of the group.

There are still interviews with individual members scattered across the different themes but most of the pages are filled with random shots from each set. Thankfully, the nature of the photographs do make them more interesting than most.

Photos are split into different club activity themes.

Some interesting sections.

With that in mind, there is little to be said for this book. It is a simple package that will appeal to those looking to see a more spontaneous side of their idols. If I were to compare it to a previous release, it would be to the twin AKB48 Yusatsu books, though the photographs here are better taken.

Fashion check.

Note though that not all members are featured in the book equally, if at all. Fans of less prominent members will be disappointed. On the other hand, the Top SKE48 members are given star treatment within. Quite a few pages are dedicated to the six most popular members in what looks like one of their best studio shoots for a mook.

Akarin.

Churi.

The SKE48 Bukatsu Damashii is a fairly thick book, coming in at 165 pages. The fact that it costs only 1,200 yen does make it more tempting too. If that wasn’t enough, the book comes with two additional bonus L-sized photographs to sweeten the deal. As you would have expected, photographs are chosen at random from a variety of (barely) different poses from a small pool of selected members.

Bonus photos.

Overall, SKE48 Bukatsu Damashii provides some additional content for die hard fans at great value but will likely only appeal to a selected number of this already niche group.

Not exactly a new book, but the SKE48 Complete Book 2010-2011 is a nice compendium of SKE48 knowledge. The book was released last December and remains in print, though judging from the title it will most likely be phased out soon. Completionists will want to grab a copy before that happens. But even if not, it still contains enough sweet treats within to warrant attention.

This is actually the first refresh of the SKE48 Complete Book, with the first one being the 2008-2009 edition. It serves a purpose similar to the AKB48 Visual Book series but receives my thumbs up over its previous version as well as the AKB48 variation for a number of reasons which will be mentioned.

The front sleeve.

Back.

The SKE48 Complete Book 2010-2011 comes in a standard mook sized package but is slightly thicker than average. Peeling away the obi and sleeves will reveal the cover which features all the SKE48 members in cute super deformed form.

Cute actual cover.

The usual stickers.

Senbatsu photoshoot for the book.

Unlike newer editions of the AKB48 Visual Book, profiles of all 3 SKE48 teams and research students are present in one convenient book. The SKE48 Complete Book is price at 1,980 yen, which is cheaper than getting a complete set of A, K and B (1,500 yen each) as well as the previous 2009 version of this book (3,000 yen).

Most members get a two page profile.

Interesting question and answer with each member.

All of the member profiles come with studio photos taken for this occasion, an introduction to the member and a short Q&A segment. The Q&A segment features such interesting questions like “What is your favorite type (of guy)” and “What is a secret about another member that only I know”. Another plus point is that the girls’ own handwritten answers are printed here, adding to the personable feeling.

There was a contest to win these polaroids.

Mini-question sections in between.

Team E.

And the kenkyuusei get only one page each.

Another highlight of the book is the generous number of pages dedicated to the history of SKE48. This time though, key events are presented through never before seen candid photos. There are also features on the different SKE48 stages, their participation in the AKB48 elections and the SKE48 Request Hour Set List Best 2010. This is the equivalent of multiple AKB48 mooks worth of coverage.

SKE48 Chronicle.

Timeline of SKE48 events.

The same history in photo form.

Exclusive candid photographs from member birthday celebrations.

More candids from the making of this book.

As an added bonus, each copy of the SKE48 Complete Book comes with 1 of 4 possible double-sided posters. This one contained the version with a large spread of Takayanagi Akane from Macau. For once, the poster isn’t sealed or attached to the book itself so you don’t have to risk damaging your copy. Something that frustrates me greatly with most AKB48 mooks.

One of four random double-sided posters.

Size comparison.

If you’re living in Singapore. There should be a number of copies still available at the local Kinokuniya though somewhat pricier. Otherwise, you will also be able to find it at CDJapan through the generated link below.

Released this past November, THE SPEC KIT Watarirouka Urikomitai (THE SPEC KIT 渡り廊下売り込み隊) follows the growth of one of AKB48′s most popular sub-groups, Watarirouka Hashiritai. The B5-sized book chronicles the group from the start. A picture timeline and essays from those involved with the group traces the milestones in Watarirouka history.

At first glance, one can already tell that the book is a little different from others. The obi, usually a narrow sash of paper with promotional type, is a lot wider in Spec Kit and instead of duplicating the cover (as they normally do), provides graphics to an otherwise bare front. The faux-leather texture and gold lettering are reminiscent of bounded journals that one would find in a university library, a rather poignant cover given the theme of the book.

The plain cover of Spec Kit without its obi.

The book starts off with the expected group photos of the girls, as well as a tongue-in-cheek set of instructions on how to get into an exclusive event.

Appealing to Shoujo-ai fans.

Content page adorned with anime illustrations.

As can be seen by the content page, each member has a set of pages dedicated to her. Of course, the prerequisite gravure shots are present, but the girls also get a few pages in their sections for their own works. Hirajima Natsumi becomes Hirajima-sensei, dishing out mock relationship advice (yes, the irony is not lost) to readers that write in. Iwasa Misaki speaks of coping with her unique voice, it begins with a quote about her disappointment at having a non-cute voice and entering Watariouka Hashiritai.

Bikini photos are par for the course.

Tackling two fetishes at once.

Watanabe Mayu draws an anime version of Watarirouka Hashiritai 7.

Wasamin's short essay.

After the individual pages, the book shifts focus onto the group itself. A pictorial timeline greets the reader with rich photographs and text showing Warota’s growth from a 4-member unit to the relatively large 7 that they currently have.

A timeline with photos of the group.

Some fans would definitely be interested in the sections that follow; an essay on the happenings in Watarirouka since its formation in 2008, and a section where various people who have worked with Warota (like Yamasato Ryouta) write on their opinions of the group.

The gossip rag look is not coincidental.

Akihiro Kiuchi & Toshiro Kunikawa give their take on Watarirouka.

To close off, the book ends with a few more group shots, and a retro-styled series of photos, which in the opinion of this writer looks the best of all the photos in the book.

Hirajima Natsumi

A parting shot and some messages from the members at the end of the book.

Released by Wani Books, the book has a slightly steep price point of 1500yen. However, fans who are interested in Warota should see no waste in this expense. The uniqueness of the book’s cover alone should give it a decent place in any collection. Unlike the first photobook release, this does not have as many photos, but the inclusion of personal write-ups are a nice addition to the photographic contents of the book.

Supermerlion attended the launch event for Pop Rock Love. In an event attended by friends and family (with a performance by a local band), we caught up with author Raine Koh. She spoke of her background as a writer, the book and future aspirations.

A number of people were in attendance.

One More Stop with Glamorous Sky

While this may the first time many have encountered Raine Koh, she is no stranger to publishing. Pop Rock Love is actually her third title; she is also a writer for Teen’s Magazine. Raine also has a number of screenplays under her belt, having gotten into writing 5 years ago.

She counts authors like Murakami, Coelho and Wilde amongst her favorites, drawing her inspiration from them. While some aspects of her book might be similar, she feels that authors should seek their own style and go ahead with that, giving each writer his own individuality.

Raine with her book.

Signing books for fans.

Pop Rock Love blends the worlds of Japanese rock and pop together, its narrative involving two people of wildly different backgrounds. When asked about the setting, Raine expounded on her belief that J-rock was not just a fad and (given the longevity of the local scene) was here to stay.

The book was written in a year, from 2009 and Raine confessed a desire for it to be turned into an idol drama. Given the target audience of female 15 to 22 year olds, this does not seem to be all that far-fetched. Raine also has plans to get her name out overseas, with a translation into Mandarin on the cards, to take advantage of the burgeoning Chinese market.

The A5-sized book.

Raine is looking into collaboration with local schools, where she would be able to hit a majority of her target audience. The book, which is of a relatively short length and small-sized, is perfect for reading on the commute. It will available in all major bookstores in mid-December, and Select Books will also sell it online.

Singaporean writer Raine Koh talks about her upcoming first book, titled Pop Rock Love. The book tells the story of a typically angsty young Singaporean girl, Mimi who finds herself in an affair with a mysterious Japanese dancer. Their romance takes on Murakami-esque tones, when she pursues him to Japan and discovers that he is part of a boy band.

The official synopsis
“Twenty-two year old Mimi was contented with belting out angst-ridden, rock tunes every week at a pub on the island city of Singapore. That is until, she has a whirlwind one-month affair with a mysterious Japanese breakdancer named Yuki. He suddenly disappears and Mimi goes to Tokyo in search of him. She then discovers, with the aid of one of those plasma screens in Shibuya, that Yuki belongs to a boy band. They belong to two different worlds, can their love withstand the pressure?”

The cover for Pop Rock Love.

Pop Rock Love combines two things rarely seen in Singapore, the literary arts and the exploration of Japanese pop culture beyond the usual otaku fare.

As always we’re keen to lend our help in spreading word of this work. Pop Rock Love will appear in Singaporean bookstores starting this month. It is supported locally by the National Arts Council. More information can be found at at its Facebook page here.

Last year’s Janken Tournament was one of the most interesting events in recent AKB48 history. It wasn’t a surprise (though most had expected them to mix up the game) that they’d repeat the success of last year’s event, this time with the the 2011 Janken Takai. Kobusha have released an accompanying guide book again this year with detailed statistics of all the participating members.

Copies of the Janken Taikai Official Guide Book were provided last year to some attendees at Budokan. It flows like a play book of the matches but also has enough details to make for an interesting read. Others will enjoy the large full color profiles of the members.

Last year’s mook featured some of the best photographs of the girls among all other books. This year’s edition maintains the standard, though some of the team costumes leave much to be desired.

This year's Janken Taikai guidebook.

Flying Get costumes.

As usual, each mook comes with a collection of stickers and a poster related to the event. If it’s inside, then there has got to be a market for such things somewhere.

Stickers.

Matchup chart.

Photoshoot at the front. One of the anticipated matches.

Coverage of the preliminary rounds.

Inside, you’ll find information about this year’s Janken Tournament as well as the events leading up to it. Coverage of the preliminary rounds to determine the participants from SKE48, NMB48 and the Research Students are also included.

Breakdown of the individual matches.

Lots of friends pitted against each other this time.

Team 4, as well as select SKE48, NMB48 and kenkyuusei members are included.

But the individual member profiles make up the brunt of the book’s content, sorted by their respective first round matches. Once again, predictions and statistics of the members are provided. But the write up and photographs make up the main attraction.

Ninja stats.

Autographed Polaroids that can be won.

Other contents include interviews with producer Akimoto Yasushi, words from last year’s winner Uchida Mayumi and predictions by notable charisma fortune tellers. There’s also a short making off section with candid photographs taken during the production of the book.

Last year's champion.

Predictions by celebrity fortune tellers.

Behind the scenes.

This preview was initially intended to be uploaded earlier. The Jaken Taikai is now over and pretty much everyone ought to know that Shinoda Mariko won this year. But the Janken Taikai Official Guide Book 2011 still makes for a nice photo book and collectible to commemorate this event in AKB48 history.

You can probably expect the equivalent of last year’s AKB48 Janken Senbatsu Report Book soon. Which will be a companion and report of the actual tournament that took place on the 20th of September this year.

If you haven’t already gotten your copy, you can find it available online for 1000 yen or at your local Kinokuniya outlet. The AKB48 Singapore Shop should be selling copies too, together with a free bonus photograph for SGD$22.90. The bonus photograph is not available from the Kinokuniya bookstore.

The AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary 2 (with SKE48) was released last month as a follow up to 2009′s precious release. With their fame spreading overseas and members traveling far more frequently in response, this second book packs memories from all of AKB48′s trips to Guam, Los Angeles, Singapore, Macau, Russia, Hong Kong spanning June 2010 to March 2011. Fans from any of the regions mentioned will probably want to take a look.

Much thicker than the first book.

Behind.

As before, each copy of the book come with 2 random bonus photos inserted. My copy came with these pictures of Miyazawa Sae and Kuramochi Asuka. The additional Kojima Haruna photo happened to be a pre-order bonus from 7-Eleven. Lucky.

One of the nicest pictures of Sae-chan.

Guam is by now a frequent AKB48 handout and it’s the first location featured in the book. Photos are from the Senbatsu’s recent trip there to film the promo video for their last single Everyday, Kachuusha. This time you’ll find stray shots of SKE48 and NMB48′s aces too.

The recent Guam trip to film the Everyday Kachuusha PV.

As before, lots of lovely high quality, full color photographs.

Candidly taken during the trip.

Celebrating Mariko-sama's birthday in Guam.

AKB48 returned to the United States of America mid last year, this time visiting the city of Los Angeles for the Anime Expo. This particular trip features more concert shots than candid member photos but will still be valuable to fans hailing from the City of Angels.

Last year's Anime Expo in Los Angeles.

Lots more locations visited this time.

And many more photos.

This will undeniably be the highlight for a significant portion of our readers. Yes, the two concerts AKB48 performed in Singapore end last year are covered in all its full color glory. Local fans will be able to bask again in those great memories and a few lucky ones even appear in some of the photos inside.

Singapore fans will definitely want to get this book.

A great memento for those who have witnessed the events.

And the next best thing for moments that you couldn't be part of.

Some of the nicest AKB photos you'll see anywhere.

This time, photos from the performances itself are included.

12-shot.

The previous book suffered from a limited number of featured girls and might not had been a necessary buy for all fans. More members have been traveling since then.

The rather grand Macau appearance.

Spot your locales!

Bubble tea.

Churi.

The greater number of visited locations this time round also helps to increase the value of the book as far as variety is concerned.

Year end visit to Russia.

Visiting the winter wonderland.

The girls look particularly happy during this trip.

Eating ice cream in the snow.

Awesome group shot of the Russian fans.

Couple of member visits to the Hong Kong AKB48 Shop and Museum earlier this year.

Sae lovers will rejoice at the plentiful photos of her.

As seen here.

Also, some Yuko.

Yuko's public handshake event at Hong Kong's Dragon Centre.

Fans of AKB48′s newest team will also rejoice at the inclusion of their recent trip to Guam where they filmed their Nemousu Special.

The (then) Kenkyuusei, Team 4's Nemousu special in Guam.

This particular photo has been making rounds on the internet.

Somehow Miorin was the only one to get a two page spread.

Messing around at the beach.

Best shot collection. And notes from the photographers.

Rie photographs well.

This book comes highly recommended.

Everything you’ve come to love of the first book is back, with the exception of the individual member recollections. For the same reason why I loved the old Hello Project NG Shot books, I found the notes an interesting part of the first book and helped add a rather personal touch.

They aren’t totally gone though. Either to make way for more photos or because the girls don’t have nearly as much time as before, there just aren’t as many journal entries as before. All of the surviving accounts are condensed to the back of the book.

It would had been nice to see the photographs themselves scribbled upon like a real life scrap book but not sure if everyone would agree on that.

Not as many notes this time.

The AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary 2 is a wonderful and meaningful buy for any AKB48 fan that comes highly recommended. Owing to the large number of places covered, the AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary 2 is a much heftier book than the last, cramming 3 times as many travel photographs in double the pages. Yet despite this, the book retails at a lower price of just 1,500 yen.

Unsurprisingly, it’s available for order at CDJapan but I pre-ordered this copy from 7netshoppping which delivers for free within Japan with minimum purchase of 1,500 yen. Or pick it up at your friendly local bookstore where available.

A little late, but this timeless treasure was released back in December 2009. The AKB48 no Kaigai Ryokou Nikki (AKB48の海外旅行日記) or AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary is a visual journal of the trips AKB48 took to New York, Paris and Cannes the same year. This lovely, full colored book features a generous collection of candid photographs of their adventures overseas.

Was passed a copy of the book to look through a while ago but sort of forgot to write about. It wasn’t until the release of the newer AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary 2 last month that I remembered to take a look at it again. I’ll be going through that book tomorrow, so do check back then.

AKB48 no Kaigai Ryokou Nikki.

Published by Kobunsha, the soft covered AKB48 no Kaigai Ryokou Nikki book retails for 1980 yen. It is still in print and widely available online and at bookstores like Kinokuniya.

Back.

As we’ve come to expect from many AKB48 products, the book comes with two random standard L sized (3R) photographs. This particular book came with the following photos of Akimoto Sayaka and Kitahara Rie. The bonus photos are also selected from the trip and are not too different from the ones printed in the book.

The book comes with two random, bonus L sized photos.

New York is the first featured destination in the book. 16 members, Akimoto Sayaka, Itano Tomomi, Ono Erena, Oshima Yuko, Kitahara Rie, Kojima Haruna, Sato Amina, Takajo Aki, Takahashi Minami, Fujie Reina, Maeda Atsuko, Minegishi Minami, Miyazaki Miho, Miyazawa Sae, as well as the then kenkyuusei, Iwasa Misaki and Sato Sumire visited the city back in September 2009 for the New York Anime Festival.

AKB48 visited New York back in 2009.

Lots of large, candid photos.

Throughout the book, you’ll find many high quality full color photographs of the girls enjoying their time in the Big Apple. The candid nature of the photographs featured are definitely the highlight.

A more personable kind of photobook.

Just some of the many photos you'll find in the book.

Reflections on their trip, from each of the girls.

The Overseas Travel Diary also includes written afterthoughts from each of the visiting members, which adds to the personable feeling. It’s a nice touch that is appreciated. Capturing the group’s memories as well as a vertical slice of history adds value and sets this book apart from the dozens of mook releases each year.

AKB48 visited Mipcom in Cannes.

The book will be especially valuable for those coming from NYC, Paris and Cannes.

Nice break from the usual gravure shots.

Candid moments captured.

Considering that the basis of this Supermerlion site revolves around the capturing as well as sharing of original travels and experiences, it’s hard for me not to love this book. I’ve always believed that photographs are always best appreciated in context, because when was the last time you actually cared for your friends’ sudden flood of travel pictures on Facebook.

The AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary brings a meaningful way to appreciate photographs of these friendly idols, even if will have to cost you 1980 yen.

Really nice selection of photos.

Unfortunately, only a selection of members were there for these trips.

Still a great buy.

Behind the scenes.

There were individual memoirs from the Paris trip too.

All in all, there are a good 150 pages of content. A good value considering how most of that content happens to be some of the most awesome AKB48 photos you’ll find in print.

The AKB48 Overseas Travel Diary will especially precious if you happen to be one of the lucky few to have been part of the experiences overseas, in which case you’d probably already own this book by now.

For everyone else, this is just a small shout out that the plentiful copies you see at stores does not mean it’s not deserving of a sell out status. For once, even the management agrees that it’d be too cruel to limit sales of this wonderful book. Everyone deserves to discover the happiness contained in the book.

From end may up till last month, AKB48 held its first ever revival concerts at the JCB Hall. The series of concerts, under the name “Minogashita Kimitachi e, AKB48 Group Zenkouen” (For you who missed it, AKB48 Group Complete Performance), featured all of AKB48′s classic stages from its nearly 6 years of existence. To commemorate this event, a special accompanying booklet was created.

Each of these books follow through the list of song stages that were to be performed during the revival concert. A nostalgic treasure for those who have been around the AKBlock nearly as long or a great overview for others new to the pop sensation.

Copies were sold at the concert for just 700 yen. I personally picked up a copy from 7netshopping (Japan’s 7-11 online store) for the same price. For those living in Singapore, the AKB48 Singapore Shop seems to have brought in a limited number of copies retailing at around $13. Regardless of where you’re ordering it from, each copy comes with one random photograph featuring the AKB48 senbatsu in classic theater costumes.

やっぱり。。。あきちゃ

Here are some photos of what you are missing out on, if you haven’t yet grabbed a copy.

Team A 1st Stage: Party ga hajimaru yo.

Team A 2nd Stage: Aitakatta.

Team A 3rd Stage: Dareka no tame ni.

Team A 4th Stage: Tadaima renaichuu.

Team A 5th Stage: Renai kinshi jourei.

Team A 6th Stage: Mokugekisha.

Team K 2nd Stage: Seishun Girls.

Team K 3rd Stage: Nounai Paradise.

Team K 4th Stage: Saishuu Bell ga naru.

Team K 5th Stage: Saka agari.

Team K 6th Stage: RESET.

Team B 3rd Stage: Pajama Drive.

Team B 4th Stage: Idol no yoake.

Team B 5th Stage: Theater no megami.

Sister groups included.

Team S 2nd Stage: Te o tsunaginagara.

Team S 3rd Stage: Seifuku no me.

Team KII 1st Stage: Aitakatta.

Team E 1st Stage: Pajama Drive.

SDN48 1st Stage: Yuuwaku no Garter.

Team N 1st Stage: Dareka no tame ni.

Himawari-gumi 1st Stage: Boku no taiyou.

Himawari-gumi 2nd Stage: Yume wo shinaseru wake ni ikanai.

Sadly, I had to give the revival concerts a miss since I expected them to clash with the Singapore concerts (it didn’t in the end), something I regret deeply. So here’s to hoping they bring this back on a yearly basis.

While look through old posts on this slow Sunday afternoon, it came to my attention that we never did post up last year’s AKB48 Janken Results Report Book. This smaller book serves as an accompaniment to what we deem one of last year’s better purchases, the AKB48 Janken Senbatsu book. While it’s kind of outdated by now, here’s a quick look for the sake of completeness.

As the title suggests, the book covers the results of last year’s Janken Senbatsu tournment whom Uchida Mayumi was crowned the winner. But instead of being a bunch of pictorial interviews with the winners (which is the norm for most AKB48 mooks) the book focuses more on detailing the actual tournament itself.

Cover. In a similar format to the pre-tournament book.

Full body stickers of the girls in their chosen outfits.

All of the images in the book take on the form of a collage of on location shots.

The matching and results.

In photo form.

Akimoto Yasushi explains his eccentrics again.

Features of all the members.

Instead of an interview. The girls write down their feelings from the tournmanent.

Not surprisingly, the senbatsu get more space.

But the losers get their own sections too. In order of elimination.

The Janken Queen gets her own additional section at the back.

End with more (better taken) behind the scenes shots.

And a poster. You got to have a poster.

The remaining members on the flip side.

Now, I know that the very nature of event photography makes for some difficult times but that doesn’t change the fact that this book contains some of the worst photographs in any AKB48 mook, ever. The photos aren’t even in focus half of the time and when they are most are cropped awkwardly.

The 700 yen price tag ain’t too bad either but note that this is the thinnest AKB48 mook I’ve seen so far too. Still, if you want a memento book for the event this is your only option and the the sheer amount of photo coverage inside does excuse its brevity.

With the 2011 AKB48 senbatsu elections beginning in just a few days time, we take a look at this year’s AKB48 General Election Guide Book. It follows a similar format to last year’s guide book, but now features detailed statistics of an expanded repertoire of 152 members spread over AKB48, SKE48, NMB48 and the combined kenkyuusei forces.

AKB48 Senbatsu Sousenkyo Official Guide Book 2011.

Honestly, if you could only purchase one AKB48 mook a year make it this annual compendium. It’s certainly the thickest, with over 150 full color pages, it’s perhaps the most value for money AKB48 magazine.

Back. Pretty identical format to last year.

152 are participating in this year's elections.

The magazine begins with write ups of last year’s selected members. This is juxtaposed with a compilation of photos, chosen from some of the best taken over the course of the year.

Last year's senbatsu get full colored features at the front.

The top seven get 4 pages each.

Yuki is a special case. She gets 3 pages.

9 to 12 get 2 pages, with the rest getting only a single column.

It continues to a long interview with producer Akimoto Yasushi.

Akimoto Yasushi's insights.

Last year’s elections is also covered in full. Apart from the rankings, all of the girls comments from election day are recorded in full. Accompanied by colored photos of course.

Last year's event in detail.

Ninja stats on each of the 152 members.

The brunt of the book consists of profiles of all the members or as I prefer to call it…ninja stats. There’s also a short writeup of each girl and comments from Mr Togasaki, AKB48′s theater manager and second in command.

Full fledged members get more space.

You can win the decorated polaroids in a contest.

Polaroid pictures appear alongside each profile, each autographed and decorated by the girls themselves. Each copy of the magazine comes with a contest entry form where fans are encouraged to guess this year’s top 12 and 21st member. 100 winners will get invites to a special event where they will be able to sample home cooked meals from AKB48 members. With another 152 winning the actual polaroids shown in the book.

Staff members give their predictions.

SKE48 get full profiles too.

NMB48 get less space each though.

As do the research students.

Complete list of election poster cards.

Also included are pictures for all the girls “election cards” compiled in one place. One promotional photo card of a random member will be inserted in first press copies for theater versions of the upcoming Everyday, Kachuusha single. Like the ones included during the past couple years’ election singles, the cards are designed to look like political campaign posters, a fun touch.

Amusingly made to look like actual election campaign posters.

The kenkyuusei and NMB48 get smaller pictures here.

There’s also a summarized timeline of AKB48′s history, expanded to included last year’s events.

History of AKB48.

This time round, only last year's top 12 get stickers.

While last year’s copy included stickers of all 108 members (at the time), it seems they had trouble fitting any more onto a single sheet. Instead, only the first 12 girls from last year are available in adhesive form. Finally, the mook also comes with one of two possible posters, again featuring the top 12.

And as always. Posters.

The AKB48 General Election Guide Book 2011 is available for sale at 1000 yen or SGD$22.90 at local Kinokuniya outlets (provided it isn’t sold out).

The AKB1/48 Koshiki Koryaku Visual Book (Official Strategy Visual Book) is the licensed strategy guide for the AKB1/48: Idol to Koishitara video game. It provides a detailed walkthrough to AKB48′s first video game, though I highly doubt that’s the main selling point. For most, this is another chance to own a little piece of AKB48 for the price of your lunch money.

With the invention of the internet and on demand access to online FAQS, game strategy magazines are all but dead. Still, within Japan there lies a market for such things, either as a replacement for the game’s inept manual or as a visual accompaniment full of game statistics.

AKB1/48 Idol to Koishitara Koshiki Koryaku Visual Book.

Back cover.

Stickers. For your PSP perhaps.

In truth the AKB1/48: Idol to Koishitara game doesn’t have nearly as much difficultly or depth to warrant the need for a manual, much less a strategy guide. But that doesn’t stop Kodansha from finding another excuse to publish more photos of Japan’s favorite idols. Photos well worth the 1000 yen cost of the book.

Member features.

Guides for each member.

A little more AKB48.

In fact, those who haven’t played the game might be inclined to find the mook much more amusing. Since you’d be seeing most of the material for the first time. If you’ve already bought the game, the Koshiki Koryaku Visual Book will sit nicely beside your explicitly ever growing collection of AKB48 paraphernalia.

Step by step instructions.

Game FAQ.

Behind the scenes with the staff.

Apart from the new “feature” photographs of each member, other new content include the creators’ insights while making the game. There’s also short section where members were presented related questions such as “What type of guys do you like?” or “In what sort of situation would you like to confess your feelings?”.

Casual Q&A with the girls.

Love letters.

Poster.

As always, the AKB1/48 Koshiki Koryaku Visual Book comes with attached posters and stickers. This time, Kodansha have also included mock “love letters” written by the girls which are likely to leave certain fans speechless.

Those who’ve missed this book in the sea of AKB48 releases will be glad to know that it is still in print. You can find the product page for the AKB1/48 Koshiki Koryaku Visual Book here.

Celebrities write about their favorite idols in this new AKB48 mook. The AKB48 Oshi Certification Book features a column on each individual member, with insights written or taken from interviews with other famous talents. Visually, this is a pretty bland mook. Its target audience thus limited to fans that are looking for a different type of coverage or those who must absolutely collect everything AKB48.

Was passed this a few weeks ago to review as usual. So let’s take a look inside.

Cover.

Back.

Apart from the cover, only a handful of pages appear in full color. Those looking for your typical gravure/photo mook will be sorely disappointed. Anyone without a solid comprehension of the Japanese language will also have trouble fully appreciating its contents.

Only a handful appear in full color.

A few color pages at the front and back of the book.

All 48 members and the kenkyuusei are featured in their teams though.

It’ll also be a much more enjoyable read with some familiarity with the Japanese media outside of the idol world. It was sort of amusing to see who they managed to find/convince to talk about the individual girls, rigged or not.

Writeups from celebrity fans.

Along with some easter eggs.

Some familiar faces.

Is it any wonder that Japan's most twisted contemporary artists is a Yuko fan?

Gyaru model Kanno Yui.

Wait what?

Kenkyuusei were less fortunate.

Couple of pages from behind.

Probably one of the only reasons for non-native speakers to still get this book.

Oshi Certificates. Apparently.

Instead of the usual poster, this particular magazine comes with an “Oshi Certifaction”. I guess you’re supposed to choose from one of the paper cutouts to paste this sticker seal on it declaring your favorite member. It’s a gimmicky bonus that may possibly appeal to some of AKB48′s younger fans but is otherwise passable.

Sticker for you to paste on your member of choice.

How they look like.

Other side.

If you happen to fall under this book’s target audience, you can find it for sale at 952 yen (SGD$14/USD$11) here at CDJapan. The low price point being its only saving grace.

At some point of time, AKB48 grew out of dominating the Japanese music industry and moved on to print too. These days, multiple new AKB48 magazines pop up each and every month, if not weekly. Truth is, we’ve got a whole stack of untouched AKB48 related mooks asking to be reviewed. But with no one else on hand, I thought it might be due time to start looking through them. Today we’ll look through the memorial book for AKB48′s Yakushiji Hounou Kouen 2010 “Yume no Hanabiratachi” (薬師寺奉納公演2010 夢の花びらたち) concert at Nara last year.

Yakushiji is a famous Buddhist temple in Nara. You may find it strange (or blasphemous) that AKB48 would perform a concert in such a location. But Yakushiji is actually also a popular concert grounds that holds such events year round. It’s a win-win situation either way, the temple raises funds for a good cause by renting out its abundant space, and everybody benefits from the positive energy.

AKB48 Yakushiji Hounou Kouen 2010 Mook.

The AKB48 Yakushiji Hounou Kouen 2010 magazine-book documents the group’s experience performing at this sacred site with related interviews of each of the performing members.

The attendees.

Psyching up for the concert.

This particular book was probably one of their most tasteful yet. Fans can enjoy exclusive behind the scenes shots of the events leading up to the concert and photos from the performance itself. All of this is presented in an extraordinary number of two page spreads. In some ways, it resembles an advert for the temple. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Public service announcement from AKB48.

Rehearsals.

More behind the scenes.

And shots from the concert.

For some the main highlight might be the individual interviews with each of the girls though.

Lots of spreads.

Even in the interviews.

Everyone gets a good number of pages this time.

The first 16 girls get a two page photo spread, followed by another two pages of interview.

All the photos are shot at the temple grounds.

Lots of large, nice photos to appreciate.

The remaining 5 girls get only two pages each though.

Ono Erena gets her own section at the back of the book. It was her last concert.

Free double sided poster with each copy.

The AKB48 Yakushiji Hounou Kouen 2010 book ranks up there with the AKB48 Janken Senbatsu book as one of the nicest AKB48 mooks. It consists of mostly well taken full, or two page photographs of some of the more popular members and it’s a worthwhile purchase, if any of your supported idols do make an appearance inside.

AKB48 Yusatsu THE RED ALBUM / THE BLUE ALBUM was released last month on the 25th March. The two separate books contain hundreds of candid photographs that the AKB48 members have taken of each other over the last year. The books went up for sale only yesterday evening at the local Kinokuniya and we were sure to pick up our copies.

AKB48 Yusatsu THE RED ALBUM / THE BLUE ALBUM.

Behind.

The inner cover is a cool collage.

My first reaction was surprise at how tiny the books are in reality. They are less than half the size of a traditional mook. The reason being that most of the photos featured in the book were taken by the members’ mobile phones. You can tell who has poorer phones from the photos. Even when shrunk down to this smaller scale, many of the pictures are still blurry or pixelated.

By Yuko of course.

Sashiharassment.

Photos in the books were compiled from those taken by 30 different members (15 per book).

Kojiharu knows what sells.

Behind the scenes.

The RED ALBUM features pictures by (in alphabetical order) Kasai Tomomi, Kitahara Rie, Kuramochi Asuka, Sashihara Rino, Sato Amina, Sato Sumire, Takajo Aki, Takahashi Minami, Nitou Moeno, Maeda Atsuku, Maeda Ami, Minegishi Minami, Miyazaki Miho, Watanabe Mayu and SDN48′s Noro Kayo.

Gya.

Just chilling.

While the BLUE ALBUM has photos taken by Akimoto Sayaka, Itano Tomomi, Oshima Yuko, Ota Aika, Oku Manami, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kojima Haruna, Kobayashi Kana, Komori Mika, Shinoda Mariko, Nakagawa Haruka, Fujie Reina, Miyazawa Sae as well as SKE48′s Matsui Jurina and Matsui Rena.

Caught in the act.

Random candids.

Candid photos are always fun and probably more interesting than rampant bikini photos. Still, there’s plenty of fan service to be had in both books, as you can see here.

Intense.

Meh.

Each book comes with a random L sized photo print as a bonus gift. The pictures are unique from those shown in the book.

Random photos.

The original retail price for each book is 1200 yen ($18). Kinokuniya Singapore sells the books for $27.50 each. If you can afford a wait, you’d be better off purchasing them online. Even after factoring in shipping costs, it’d still likely work out to be cheaper if you combine orders with a friend or some other purchase.

Our main gripe about purchasing the books from Kinokuniya was that all of their stock had identical bonus photographs for each book. Thus killing our chance for a random surprise and the fun we would have had from trading amongst ourselves.

Killjoy.