The Leader Who Supports AKB48 “Takamina”, has recently been posted on Real Life Web. Special thanks goes out to htmfan for sharing the article with me / requesting it to be translated – thank you so much! <3 As always I cannot guarantee for my translation to be 100% spot on perfect (I have a few notes at the end pointing out certain sentences I couldn’t make out), however I gave it my best and I like to believe I managed to capture the overall mood of the article It’s a wonderful read that truly honors and praises Takamina, so check it out below!

The Leader Who Supports AKB48 “Takamina” (2011-01-20)

Together Team A, Team K, Team B, as well as SDN48 and kenkyuusei (research students) make up the considerably large, very popular AKB48 family.  Furthermore, the members are girls who participate and play an active part in the entertainment world. How on earth are these girls organized?

“It has been said that [this is due to] the large presence of Takahashi Minami, also known as Takamina,” said an entertainment writer. Takahashi passed the “AKB48 Opening Member Audition,” entering the group with other AKB48 members. *

In AKB48, the petite Takahashi is 148 centimeters tall, and is currently the Team A captain. It has been said that when AKB48 and their staff connect in a circle and cheer to encourage each other during concerts, it is always Takahashi who serves as a representative and gives a speech at that time.  Writer Iwasaki Natsumi has praised her leadership. While events such as elections, the Janken tournament, etc. can put a strain on the relationships [of the members], it is certainly amazing how [Takahashi] puts an end to it and has the great ability to organize and unite them. **

“She is not only a member of AKB48, but she is also highly respected by fans.  It has been revealed that the member that is most respected and honored is ‘Takamina.’” (Public entertainment writer)

However, while it is acknowledged that she [Takahashi] is best at having the ability to bring this band together, it has been said that it is unknown how long she will be able to continue doing this.

Last year, as stated in her first photobook, Akimoto Yasushi said “Takahashi Minami is AKB48.” From now on, Takahashi will play an active role in the framework of AKB48, no matter where or what activities she does. ***

 http://npn.co.jp/article/detail/83009476/

Chobi’s Translator Notes

* Couldn’t understand the next sentence; something about the audition and Akimoto Yasushi being one of the judges

** Subsequent sentence was a little unclear as well, something about how spectators feel about Takamina.

*** Not too sure about this paragraph; it was a bit difficult to translate as well.

Today was the 2nd day of AX

The 2nd day

we announced ranks #75~#51

75: Sougen no Kiseki
74: Yasai Sisters
73: 3seconds
72: Gyu
71: Aozora Kataomoi
70: Kokoro no Hashi no Sofa
69: Namida no Seesaw Game
68: Tenshi no Shippo
67: Arashi no Yoru ni wa
66: Seventeen
65: Honest Man
64: Mayu no Tame ni
63: Sasae
62: Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka?
61: GAGAGA
60: Baby! Baby! Baby!
59: Majisuka Rock ‘n Roll
58: Junjou Shugi
57: Tengoku Yarou
56: Nakeru Basho
55: Relax!
54: Tsundere!
53: Korogaru Ishi ni Nare
52: Nagisa no CHERRY
51: Theatre no Megami

～ENCORE～
EN1 Dear J
EN2 If
EN3 Shuumatsu Not Yet
EN4 Heavy Rotation

Today No Sleeves

got to sing 3seconds and Relax！
Everyone, thank you so much

The ENCORE

started off with Tomochin’s debut single

Dear　J♪
Then the single that just went on sale the other day, French Kiss’s new single

If

And after all of that was said and done, today’s surprise was…
Yuuchan, Yui, Kitarie and Sashihara’s new unit Not　Yet and they performed their debut singleShuumatsu NotYet!!

Oh my gosh~ I was so surprised

I could totally dance to it,

it’s really cool and cute

More and more units are coming about!!
No Sleeves will do our best so we won’t lose to them!!!!

Well, see you tomorrow

Good night

In the meantime, here’s Takamina latest blog entry, translated by Kanki of Stage48.

It’s Takahashi Minami☆ ☆First Day☆ – January 20, 2011
Starting today we’re finally beginning

Our annual tradition
AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 100 2011

This is our 4th year
Today is our first day and we announced the rankings of #100~#76

Here’s the ranking

　↓↓↓↓

100: Kioku no Dilemma
99: Jibunrashisa
97: AKB Sanjou
97: Kiss no Ryuusei
96: Seishun no Flag
95: Seishun no Komorebi
94: Shiroi Tulip
93: Aru Aki no Hi no Koto
92: Koi wo Kataru Shijin ni Narenakute
91: Mokugekisha
90: Blue rose
89: Kokoro no Hane
88: Ookami to Pride
87: Boku no YELL
86: Dear my teacher
85: 16nin Shimai no Uta
84: Sakura no Shiori
83: BINGO!
82: TANE
81: Tonari no Banana
80: Kuroi Tenshi
79: HIGURASHI NO KOI
78: Nounai Paradise
77: Omoide Ijou
76: Sakura no Hanabiratachi
～ENCORE～

EN1: Koi no Onawa
EN2: Valentine Kiss
EN3: Chance no Junban
EN4: Ponytail to Shushu
Somehow

3 No Sleeves songs ranked in
Everyone, thank you so much

I’m personally happy

I got to sing Higurashi no Koi

Every year AKB gets more songs
So naturally there will be songs that rank and songs that don’t rank
Thus, it would be difficult for a unit song from the olden days to actually rank…
I was able to perform this song thanks to all of you!!
Thank you so much
And and!!
Our graduates also were there today

I was really surprised at how much Kayano has grown

She was tinier than Takahashi back then~ (Distant Look lol lol)
The time sure went by
Speaking of!!
Everyone who came to AX

Everyone who came to the movie theatre

Thank you so much

Well
See you tomorrow 

http://blog.oricon.co.jp/no3b/archive/2869/0

Type-A CD Tracklist

1. Sakura no Ki ni Narou (桜の木になろう)

2. Guuzen no Juujiro (偶然の十字路) (Undergirls)

3. Kiss Made 100 Mile (キスまで100マイル) (MINT)

4. Sakura no Ki ni Narou off vocal ver.

5. Guuzen no Juujiro off vocal ver.

6. Kiss Made 100 Mile off vocal ver. 

Type-A DVD Tracklist

1. Sakura no Ki ni Narou MUSIC CLIP

2. Guuzen no Juujiro MUSIC CLIP

3. Kiss Made 100 Mile MUSIC CLIP

4. Members’ Personal Clothes Fashion Show (Type-A) (ガチ私服ファッションショー（Type-A) ） 

Type-B CD Tracklist

1. Sakura no Ki ni Narou (桜の木になろう)

2. Guuzen no Juujiro (偶然の十字路) (Undergirls)

3. Area K (エリアK) (DIVA)

4. Sakura no Ki ni Narou off vocal ver.

5. Guuzen no Juujiro off vocal ver.

6. Area K off vocal ver. 

Type-B DVD Tracklist

1. Sakura no Ki ni Narou MUSIC CLIP <Complete Version> (桜の木になろう　MUSIC CLIP＜完全版＞)

2. Guuzen no Juujiro MUSIC CLIP

3. Area K MUSIC CLIP

4. Members’ Personal Clothes Fashion Show (Type-B) (ガチ私服ファッションショー（Type-B）) 

Theatre CD Tracklist

1. Sakura no Ki ni Narou (桜の木になろう)

2. Guuzen no Juujiro (偶然の十字路) (Undergirls)

3. Ougon Center (黄金センター) (team Kenkyuusei)

4. Sakura no Ki ni Narou off vocal ver.

5. Guuzen no Juujiro off vocal ver.

6. Ougon Center off vocal ver.

Personally I think the covers are adorable and really seem to set the theme for the single. I’m not too keen on how spread out the “AKB48″ is, but I think the font itself is gorgeous, and the jacket photos even more so. The Limited Edition covers with the girls jumping are really pretty, although the downside is is that it’s hard to see all of the girls, especially in the Limited Edition B version because not all of their faces seem to be facing on the camera.

On the plus side, Takamina looks absolutely fantastic in both B-Type covers  I’m not a huge fan of her hair being pulled back the way it is, but still, I can’t help fangasming over how awesome and cool she looks  (Can you tell which versions I’ll be buying? XD)

The single hits stores on February 16th - a great belated Valentine’s Day gift! – so preorder your copies and cross your fingers for a preview of the song or the PV soon!

We don’t have much too work off of – as the preview is only a minute and a half long, standard anime ending theme length - but to be honest, I’m really really liking it so far . No Sleeves hasn’t really had a positively upbeat single in a while in my opinion, I kind to consider “Relax!” and “Kimishika” more mid-tempo and at an even middle ground, while “Kiss no Ryuusei” and “Lie” were more fast paced but kind of had a ‘dark’, more emotional feel to them. Before “Kimishika” came around “Tane” was my favorite No Sleeves’ single, so that’s probably another reason why I enjoy the kind of song “Answer” seems to be.

Plus, Takamina’s vocals are ace as always, and the lyrics sound gorgeous from what I can pick up, and that’s always a deal sealer for me :)

The single doesn’t hit stores until March 2nd, so we’re probably going to have to wait a while for a longer preview and/or the PV (fingers crossed they come soon though! <3). In the meantime check out the preview, hope for more teasers soon, and if you like what you hear reserve your copy!

I don’t usually like to buy FRIDAY because it’s a tabloid magazine and tends to feature… mature pictures in it, but I was so excited seeing No Sleeves on the cover that I couldn’t resist ^u^ Check out the scans below. Four words: TAKAMINA LOOKS EFFING GORGEOUS

Announced on December 27th, No Sleeves have been appointed to be the main MCs for TBS’s Kyun Kyun ~Dakara Moteru! Koi no Kyun-teku 2010~. 

Scheduled for broadcast on December 27th, the No Sleeves members - Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna, and Minegishi Minami – will try to be “cool women” by learning little techniques to grab men’s hearts. The girls will learn how to text the guy after the party, how to hold a microphone during Karaoke, which songs one should sing at Karaoke, and many more!

As supporters, Matsushima Naomi (of ‘Othello’), and Yuki Maomi will make their appearances.

Source + Photo: Sports Hochi + Nikkan Sports

http://www.tokyohive.com/2010/12/akb48s-no-sleeves-to-be-main-mcs-for-the-first-time/

I’m not sure if this is going to be a permanent thing, since I haven’t seen any more episodes appear yet (then again I’ve been out of commission for a while so I might have missed them), but I think the idea of the show is absolutely adorable and I got a chance to watch it when it first came out, and I loved it. I love it when the girls get to talk about girly things like this, and it’s always great seeing Kojiharu, Takamina, and Miichan together and talking like this ^_^

My computer and internet decided to ring in the new year by both crapping out on me, so that’s why updates have been so delayed. I’m terribly sorry about that! >< Also I’m not cool and don’t have a smart phone, so updating with mobile web wasn’t an option for me.

However everything is in working order, so we now return to your regularly schedule Takamina filled updates

Hello everyone! Sorry to temporarily interrupt the splurge of awesome Takamina-filled posts, but I’m happy to announce that Tottemo♥Takamina! has recently passed the 10,000 hit mark with 10,458 hits! ♥

When I first started this blog back towards the end of August, I was worried and reluctant at first. I’ve always wanted to start an idol blog, but I always held myself back, thinking “Who would want to read anything I write?” But then I realized that there really weren’t any Takamina fansites out there, so I wanted to create a blog to post Takamina, AKB48, and No Sleeves related news and unite fellow Takamina fans under a common roof. I’m glad I’ve been able to do so in these past 4 months

Once again I’d  like to thank all of the awesome Takamina fans and people who follow this blog – you guys pwn and are the reason for this entry  And of course thanks also goes out to Minami Takahashi, the idol who this blog is dedicated to. Because without Takamina, there would be no T♥T!    

Now onto the second announcement: Tottemo♥Takamina! has been added to the AKB48 TopList!

For those of you who are unfamilar with it, the AKB48 TopList is this cool site that lists various AKB48 blogs, and people are allowed to vote on their favorites to raise their favorite blog’s ranking. AKB48 Toplist can be found here, and you can vote for Tottemo♥Takamina! by clicking on the following button:

Also if you would like to provide insight or recommendations to improve Tottemo♥Takamina! - what you would like to see more of, etc. - feel free to leave your feedback in a comment on this entry!

It was recently revealed in a December 20th Mainichi.jp article that Takamina and 15 other AKB48 members have been selected to be the new “image” of H.I.S new CM. For those of you who are unfamiliar with H.I.S, H.I.S is a travel business group that features a wordwide network of travel agencies, hotels, and other companies such as holdings and insurance companies. I tried translating the news article since it was rather short, and while it may not be perfect you can read the translation here:

AKB48: Shinoda Mariko, Takamina led 16 member group, in the colorful CA appearance “Yes!” “H.I.S” new CM

Idol group AKB48 will appear in travel agency H.I.S’s “First Dream Fair” CM wearing colorful cabin attendant costumes, which will be revealed in 20 days. It will be broadcasted across the nation except in Kansai on the 27th.

In the CM, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna, Yokoyama Yui, Kashiwagi Yuki, Sashihara Rino,  Miyazawa Sae and 16 total members will perform “Ikitakatta Ikitakatta Ikitakatta～YES!”, (I wanted to go, I wanted to go, I wanted to go~ YES!) a parody of AKB48′s big hit “Aitakatta”, and “go abroad” to convey that message.   

“First Dream Fair”, with H.I.S and AKB48, is a special commemorative item collaboration, such as 48 yen round trip hotels accommodations and transportation plans in Hawaii and Guam. (Translator’s Note: I couldn’t really make out the last sentence clearly, but I believe it was talking about how the company has expanded since its formation on January 3rd, 1999, the prices of its tours, and how popular spots include Seoul and Taiwan.)  (Mainichi Shinbun Digital)

http://mainichi.jp/select/biz/bizbuz/news/20101219dog00m020023000c.html

I am extremely excited to see this CM. Not only because Takamina is in it, but I find the fact that they’re going to do a parody of Aitakatta extremely hysterical ^^ I’ll post more news on the CM when the time comes and it is revealed, but until then enjoy some of the promotional images: