Its a really late post but its now or never
(like the many other posts i say i would do but i never do)
So when the recently passed afa was going on karei was at the concerts
(3rd year of concert-ing at afa!)

The artists were fantastic
(i got the handshake and autograph poster from JAM Project amd Scandal, in summary, i love being a cosplayer (in fact one of the very few cosplayers) to meet them. Yes i make a great reaction with my costumes >w<)
Ichiro Mizuki was as enthusiastic as usual
As Yoshiki Fukuyama promised at afa 2009 he brought JAM Project with him this year bearing awesome music
Hatsune Miku made a last minute appearance, i did some serious leek waving again
Angela gave a super powerful performance with their well known songs
Scandal kept me on my feet with their awesome performance
May'n blew me away like she did the last 2 years
but i find that the most memorable concert goes to AKB48

i admit that i havent been a akb48 fan for very long
I started off when a friend posted the video to Ponytail to Shushu on facebook
I was captivated by their music instantly and that started my crazed search for akb48 music

Why do i like akb48?
I like good music and thats what i felt akb48 was producing. Majority of their songs are really catchy but they also have beautiful slow songs like Sakura no Shiori. (The costume planner for that music video was genius, the clothes went along very well with the music) which showed off their awesome vocals.
There was also the great dancing which captivated me, it led me to try to pick up River, which im still trying to master.
Akb48 is a very unique idol group, they are theatre-based and have their own theatre in Akihabara (which i hope to drop by in my next trip to japan) this interesting concept was what perked up my curiousity. If you have watched Oogoe Diamond or Iiwake Maybe music videos, you can see them doing so pretty smooth acting.

Anyways i first heard that they were coming down to stgcc, at that time i just thought that it was only going to be a meet the fan session or to me it translated as no performance and i decided to give it a miss. Perhaps the akb48 fangirl in me had not gone on overdrive mode yet, but there were times i wondered if i would regret it.

Then along came afa, announcing that there would be a akb48 concert, at this point i jumped into action to order my concert tickets. And although the ordering opened at 12 and i ordered only a few hours later i was put to the middle, i would have loved to be nearer to them >w<

The concert was too good to be true. I slowly learnt some of the basic akb48 cheers (and if anyone feels generous enough to tell me the rest of the cheers, that would be great!) and i had so much fun. Their set list was mostly made up of songs that i was famailar with. I pretty much screamed with all my voice at their first song River which i was already half-way through learning. One of their encore songs was Ponytail to Shushu which delighted mr as ypu know it was the first akb48 song i heard. Even songs i wasnt familiar with caught on to me and i enjoyed myself. My absolute favourite song for that day was Heavy Rotation, the song, the dance moves and the cheering went together very well, till now when i listen to that song i can still imagine the cheering.
AKB48: I WANT YOU!
Crowd: I WANT YOU!
AKB48: I NEED YOU!
Crowd: I NEED YOU!
AKB48: I LOVE YOU!
Crowd: I LOVE YOU!
AKB48: Atama no naka
Gangan natteru Music
Heavy Rotation
i shouted the "I LOVE YOU" part the loudest lol. I did love them for their music >w<
Back to topic, i enjoyed myself throughly at the afa concert and i was actually really reluctant to leave but eventually i did.

Fast forward to stgcc day 1, friday.
I was down for the solo cosplay competition as Ranka Lee Seikan Hikou version from Macross Froniter. I lost to Unicorn Gundam from maomao and shinji but they were too epic and i respect what they do so no hard feelings. Lol.

I caught the akb48 stage performance. Sad to say i felt a tad bit disappointed because there were only 3 girls and they only performed 2 songs but what happened after the stage performance redeemed it all.

I was below stage and it just so happened that The 3 girls were being escorted by security (backstage i presume) and we we saw each other the unthinkable (at least to me) happened. They started calling to me "Ranka! Ranka!" and i waved to them with a smile then they said "Ranka! Kira!!" and i 'Kira-ed' to them as they moved off. It really made my day.

The 2nd day of stgcc, saturday i was down as Ranka Lee again. The day was uneventful and i decided to go into the convention hall to support the patapon team for the group cosplay competition at the request of my friends in the team, just as i crossed the convention hall half way, my phone rang. The phone call from my friend h0rse was like super unexpected. He had an unwanted AKB48 Meet The Fans Session ticket and asked if i wanted it. I had to decide asap because the event was going to start. I jumped at the chance and after quickly wishing them all the best and sorry i couldnt be there, i ran to find h0rse, get my tickets and rushed to the event place to join other fellow akb48 fans.

Upon entering the theatre we were given a postcard with the Chance no Junban promotional photo, most of us would have never guessed the significance of the postcard. Yes special postcard is special but most of us just thought it as JUST a momento, how wrong some of us were. In the the theatre, akb48 music videos (mainly Alive and Chance no Junban) were being screened while waiting for the girls to come out. While waiting i (finally) asked the guy beside me how did he get the SGP48 shirt (SGP48 is the Singapore AKB48 fangroup, from the little i know lol) i was dying to get one for myself (sadly the batch order for the shirt closed 1 day after i went to the site to get it, my heart was broken instantly. But i will hold firm for the next batch order! If there ever is)

Overture signaled the start of the concert and everyone jumped to their feet. I was so ashamed at that moment, since i got the ticket last minute, i had no time to dash down to get a lightstick. But all that was forgotten when akb48 walked onto stage and i enjoyed the evening away. While the concert was structure very similarly to the afa concert (some songs were even the same. Like the first song performed was River lol but familar songs were great. I screamed Heavy Rotation when they brought their microphone stands out. Still love the cheering) there came a unique twist. The girls sang some of their songs (i recall them being Oogoe Diamond and Bingo!) in english. I was touched by their effort in english. One could tell how bad their english was, they even wrote notes on their palms so they could take a peek at it, so CUTE!!

One thing i find special about akb48 concerts is the coordination and determination of the encore cheers. After the last song we shouted as loud as possible for an encore (pronounced as ON-CORE-RU). you can hear the togetherness of it. Many if us would be shouting till we are out of breath. We would take a quick minute to rest before continuing with the rest of the people there. To describe it, its lije really great teamwork and the shouts never wavered until the girls are back on stage.

At this encore, the girls mentioned that they were chosen for their new single, Chance no Junban by Jaken-pon (in translation. Scissors, paper, stone. Sounds familar?) and they wished to play that game with us. The winners of the gane would receieve an autograph poster which bears their Chance no Junban promotional picture.

How to play?
Remember the postcrds given out when we entered the theatre? On the back is a strip of black with one of the 3 symbols, scissor or paper or stone. I got stone. So i hoped that the girls would throw out scissors because tone beats scissors. The girls decided what they were going to throw out and the game commenced
JAN
KEN
PON


their hands showed the scissors sign... And i screamed in joy
So everyone with the postcard with the stone symbol could collect their posters outside the theatre when the concert was over.

There was a hi-5 session upon leaving. Row by row the audience got up, walked up the stage hi-5 with the girls and walked down stage to the exit. A very nice way to end the concert i must say. When it was my turn i caused the same commotion as i did the day before except on a larger scale so it went "Ranka Ranka! Kira Kira!" I decided to do both the hi-5 and kira with them, needless to say it made things slower and security stepped in to hurry me. But at that moment i was so proud to be a cosplayer i even paused to do one last KIRA!~ before i ran off stage to the exit.

I wish that akb48 would come back again soon, but chances of that happening is pretty slim at the moment. (i want Atsuko and Mariko yo come down!!) still i am contented by the chance to catch them twice in singapore and i finally jave an awesome momento to bring home. I feel like laminating it >w< lollollol

Anyways let me end this post to those who made my akb48 concert going very enjoyable
My mum for panicking with me as we were stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the afa akb48 concert, i didnt choose to go early just so you know. That day was my last o level paper, who knew that it would have ended so late? Thanks for sending me too
Khai for waiting for me to rush there in case they closed the doors on me
H0rse for the free stgcc ticket, i have no idea how he knows i like akb48 but thanks so much, eternally grateful!
Everyone who was waiting for me, only me after the stgcc akb48 concert just for dinner. My apologies, i remember telling all of them to go for dinner first and save me a seat but i guess awesome friends will leave to man.. Uh i mean girl behind.
And finally to AKB48 thank you for making my after-national-exams holiday a super unforgetable one. I wish you success in caprivting the world with your music and please do drop by singapore again!

Love everyone!
KIRA!~


Time Manipulated Into Frozen Words~*