I don’t know whether there are any readers here who watch this NMB48 show but I just have to talk about the latest episode. First of all, let me first tell you all how I feel about NMB48. This NaMBa group is just like, my favourite of all the 48 family. Yes, I love NMB48 better than AKB48 and the rest! Considering that it only has one official team at the moment, I can totally understand how other fans would shake their heads at me but alas, Those Kansai Girls stole the rest of my heart – The part that isn’t owned by Princess Yukirin. My Oshi there was Saya-nee in the beginning but then I got to know her BFF Maa-chun who is now my Oshii. I love all team M members though. They are just so…I think I will dedicate a post on NMB48 soon so I better stop here or else I will go on and on.

Anyways about this episode,

 
 

After missing for like the last 20 episodes, Milky and Rii-chan are back on the show. Maa-chun who has also been missing for the last three episodes is back but that’s not all. That 1^st Gen KKS has finally been recognised and has thus been added to the guest members on the show. And by that member, I of course mean the Kinoshita –

 

  

Kinoshita Momoka!

Let me tell you about Kinoshita Momoka. She is a 14 year old girl, 1^st generation Kenkyuusei but she is so awesome that she has been added to the senbatsu members as of late. Here is a weird thing – Kinoshita Momoka is a huge pervert. A 14 year old huge pervert! She is also a huge otaku whose hobbies scare even the hard-boiled fellow members. She is so frank when she speaks without filtering her words and she would give Éclair a run for her money. Lumiere would go mad trying to get her to act like a lady an idol.

Despite all this, she is very well liked by fans and so do I. I remember writing a letter to AkiP on tumblr asking him to make haste and make her a member of Team N but I guess the rule of there being only 16 members in any team can’t be broken. So the most he did was adding her to the senbatsu line-up of the third single and getting her to join the weekly show Docking48! If this was an NMb48 dedicated show, I have a feeling this episode would have been spent on Kinoshita alone. Even hosts seemed to be taken with her, not that I blame them. She did the same thing to Peace duo when she appeared on Naniwa Nadeshiko. This Kinoshita is now on Dockin48 and I love it a lot more.

Maa-chun hitting on MiruMiru in the back.

I have been kind of depressed the last few episodes because Maa-chun was missing. She is back now but there is something strange about her return. When I asked a friend of mine about her absence, they said she might have been busy with other work, which I find the least plausible. NMB48 is still new and thus the members haven’t gotten that popular yet to have outside work. Even Saya-nee the most popular in the group doesn’t have a side job, least of all Milky or Nana, the next in line of popularity. There had to be something going on. And after her return I think I might have found an answer.

Rii-chan (Kondo Rina) and Milky (Watanabe Miyuki) ‘s return has something to do with my observation. These two were missing because of their suspension after their mishap ways back. But with their return to senbatsu in the third single, they have also returned to Docking48. Things seem a little different from before though. Let’s observe.

Ai-nyan

First of all, the seating plan has changed. In the beginning, Milky, Saya-nee, Nana and Maa-chun had a special ‘Top 4’ place they sat at in the front opposite to the hosts. This week, ABS girl of Team N, Ai-nyan (Fukumoto Aina) took over Maa-chun’s seat. As for Maa-chun, she was transferred to the far side near MiruMiru (Shiroma Miru) behind the hosts.

Second, from experience we can summarise that a member can only miss if they are either sick, in probation, or are at a different job. Since there was no news of Maa-chun being sick for all those weeks, and we haven’t heard of her doing something outside NMB48, that only leaves the possibility of probation. What could she have done exactly to be suspended and for such a short time?

 

Rii-chan

The third observation is Rii-chan. She is back on the show but she isn’t 100% healthy. It bugs the hell out of me that they would force her to come to the show like that, especially if she is in some kind of pain. As to what I am talking about, it’s her right eye. Rii-chan’s right eye is black swollen and while there are many explanations for a swollen eye like infection (in an idol? Bah!), insect bite (probable but isn’t it very rare? This is my first time seeing someone with a swollen eye due to an insect bite – that is if it is really an insect bite) and the most common which is – a black eye. I think I will go with the black eye. If it was an infection or an insect bite, I doubt they would let her come on the show due to doctor’s orders so that leaves the black eye.

I guess you see where I am going with this, dear Readers, right? Now, while I don’t see Rii-chan and Maa-chun duking it out, these are NMB48 girls we are talking about. They are very different from their sisters so a fight among them? I wouldn’t put it passed these girls.

Did Maa-chun get into a fight with Rii-chan, which got her suspended for five weeks? Did Rii-chan get a black eye from her fellow mate? Is Maa-chun dropped from her position (as fourth front runner)? I guess we shall never know. Hopefully this issue will be talked about in the coming episodes. The fact too that there was no mention of Maa-chun’s name this episode is really un-nerving. Before, it seemed like she was the star of the show. Not an episode went by without the hosts mentioning her name, until now! I tell you dear readers, my theory seems more and more credible the more I think about it.

Apart from that though, the show is still amazing. Despite having the youngest member of NMB48 among the regular members and lots of U-15 in there as well, the show can be rated R17. The hosts don’t even try to compensate for this. But this is Japan we are talking about where innocence means absolutely nothing if you are 9 years and over.

And so, if you aren’t watching this show yet, START NOW!

PS: The above member issues are all speculation, just so we are clear. >_>

Peace out…