Remembering AKB48’s ‘Antenna Girl’

Kayano Masuyama graduated from AKB48 in November 2007, but she did have one great farewell appearance as part of Himawari-Gumi which was finally released on DVD in April, some five months after the show itself at the Don Quixote Hotel in the Akihabara District of Tokyo.

 

I’ve still not recovered from all this. Last week, I mistakenly reported that Kaya had returned to AKB48 because of the lateness of the DVD release. It was, alas, too good to be true. J-music blogging colleagues at International Wota were gracious enough to offer the correct information, and I thank them for that.

 

Kaya is a superb talent and it is hoped she might yet return, even with another company. On Dec. 29, I wrote in desperation that Tsunku should sign her at Hello! Project. Kaya was every bit as good as, say, Hagiwara, and probably better. Details are here:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/tsunku_hire_kaya_today_right_now_4

 

One of the first-ever blogs here had to do with AKB48 and I decided on my “Top 10” AKB48 members with Kaya right up there, but … she graduated less than two weeks before I wrote this on Dec. 9, 2007:

 

http://radicalpatriot.vox.com/library/post/test.html

 

The AKB48 “Himawari-Gumi” DVD arrived and, as expected, Kaya did not appear to be there at first, but I then made am improbable discovery: This Himawari-Gumi DVD both 16-member teams of the 32-singer group.

 

Sure, the big names – Maeda, Takahashi, Shinoda, Sayaka, etc. – were on the first team of Himawari, but I discovered that a second team was in place with – Kaya and my other fave, Manami Oku, on it!

 

As it turned out, performances of both groups, or stages, were on that same DVD. Therefore, it is an appropriate piece of memorabilia to a potential future superstar who decided otherwise.

 

Hopefully, Oku remains with AKB48 and Himawari-Gumi. And, at least Kaya lives on through the miracle of digital motion and sound.

 

This is Rad signing off – for now.

 

P.S.: See related AKB48 blog, dated April 11, 2008, here:

 

http://radicalpatriot.vox.com/library/post/akb48-and-the-triple-costume-switch-of-07.html