AKB48 Show!

AKB48 Show!
Current title card, starting from episode 88
Genre	Variety show
Created by	Yasushi Akimoto
Directed by	Tomoko Matsuda
Starring	AKB48 and other 48G Groups
Country of origin	Japan
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	114 (as of 28 May 2016) view episode list
Production
Producer(s)	Masashi Nishi
Running time	29 minutes (without breaks)
Production company(s)	NHK Enterprises Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network	BS Premium NHK World Premium TV Japan (North America) Syndication (United States)
Picture format	HDTV 1080i
Original release	October 5, 2013 (2013-10-05) – Present
External links
Website

AKB48 Show! is a TV variety show produced by NHK in Japan, and airs weekly on BS Premium and NHK World Premium since October 5, 2013. The show features songs, comedy skits and short dramas performed by AKB48 and sister groups (as of 2016) SKE48, NMB48, HKT48, NGT48, Nogizaka46 and Keyakizaka46.

Episode structure

Episodes usually start with a short skit set in a dressing room, after which the performers run onto the stage for their opening performance, which changes every episode. Generally the 48G groups have two or three musical performances. Nogidan (Nogizaka46's band, which tributes Kishidan) held its first "Full Band Live" performance without playback, in the episode 66 (Aired March 21, 2015), playing "One Night Carnival" as an episode's closing. Mayu Watanabe also performed with live band on episode 82. Some episodes have special performances or solo performances, but some episodes has no performances. Some episodes are broadcast live from a remote location.

In the first episodes, were presented episodes of AKB Classroom in which Ian Moore talks to classes about the 48G universe. Some episodes are focused on a 48G particular event as "Request Hour" or a concert in another country. Episodes 35 and 36 were a TV adaptation of Documentary of AKB48: The Time Has Come.

On October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03), to mark the Season 3 Premiere a new opening title sequence was introduced, with a pink degradée background instead of solid white, and rotating cubes forming the show's logo, followed by a frame attached to a striped band (inherited from the opening sequence of 2014-15 Season) with one of the members shouting the title of the show.

On November 21, 48 SHOW was the only TV show to perform the full version of the song "Shekarashika!" from HKT48, four days prior official release. Neither the audio nor the full MV leaked on the internet before being released, due to restrictions of Universal Music Japan. This episode wasn't aired on NHK World Premium, due to sports coverage.

48 SHOW is also the only TV show to broadcast the full version of NGT48's "Max Toki 315 Gou" MV, because NGT48 Oficial Channel wasn't uploaded Full Music Videos yet, and only a short version from this song is available.

Broadcast

Between October 5, 2013 and March 21, 2015, the program was broadcast at 23:30 JST. As of 4 April 2015, the program airs every Saturday at 23:15 JST, and reruns every Sunday at 10:00 (JST) by BS Premium. On December 29, 2014 (HKT48 SHOW!) and March 24, 2015 (4 Years After Disaster - Special Episode), the program was broadcast at 22:30 JST instead of normal schedule.

It is also airs worldwide by NHK World Premium every Saturday at 16:30 UTC (as of 2016) with reruns every Sunday at 06:00 UTC, but some episodes does not air at normal schedule due to "Grand Sumo Tournaments" or evetually, Masashi Sada specials.

Eventually, previous episodes reruns on BS Premium/NHK World Premium as AKB48 Show! Encore. The show is aired in North America via TV Japan depending on scheduled days and times while in the United States, it is syndicated through television stations nationwide. On November 21, 2015 (2015-11-21), the episode 94 wasn't aired on NHK WP due to sports coverage, thus making fans (from South America) unable to watch performances from "Shekarashika!" (HKT48) and "Cup no Naka no Komorebi" (Love Crescendo).

Due to premiere of "Toto Neechan", 48 SHOW changed its timeslot for World Premium on April 9, to 16:30 UTC at Saturdays (01:30 JST, Sunday).

Broadcast overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	43	October 5, 2013 (2013-10-05)	September 13, 2014 (2014-09-13)
	2	44	October 4, 2014 (2014-10-04)	September 19, 2015 (2015-09-19)
	3	TBA	October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03)	September 2016 (2016-09)
	4	TBA	October 1, 2016 (2016-10-01)	September 2017 (2017-09)

Note that "Original aired date" refers to the NHK BS Premium broadcast.

Episode List

EP#	Dressing Room	Sketches	Songs Performed	Airdate
01	Yuko Oshima Yui Yokoyama	Monster OL (Office Lady) Haven't heard about until now - AKB's Highly Intense Classroom	Party ga Hajimaru Yo Hiri Hiri no Hana Tobenai Agehachō	October 5, 2013 (2013-10-05)
02	Mayu Watanabe Minami Takahashi	48 Group Daily(?) Series - Security Gate Haven't heard about until now - AKB's Highly Intense Classroom 34th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament Backstage	Heavy Rotation Kamonegix Shonichi (Piano recital ver.)	October 12, 2013 (2013-10-12)
03	Rena Matsui Akari Suda	Roll call! General Manager Takamina's Lecture Room - Kawaei Rina Haven't heard about until now - AKB's Highly Intense Classroom	Utsukushii Inazuma Melon Juice Dazai Osamu wo Yonda ka?	October 19, 2013 (2013-10-19)
04	Haruna Kojima Minami Minegishi	48 Group Daily(?) Series - Persecution Complex Infiltration Series - 'Heart Ereki' MV Recording Scene Chapter Haven't heard about until now - AKB's Highly Intense Classroom	Heart Electric Birthday Wedding Kaiyuugyo no Capacity	October 26, 2013 (2013-10-26)
05	Haruna Kojima Minami Minegishi	Stubborn Shopkeeper's Ramen Shop Infiltration Series - Not yet HALLOWEEN Event Haven't heard about until now - AKB's Highly Intense Classroom	Heart Electric Suki! Suki! Skip! Junai no Crescendo	November 2, 2013 (2013-11-02)
10		AKB48 Theater - 8th Anniversary Countdown Live	Aitakatta Sakura no Hanabiratachi	December 7, 2013 (2013-12-07)
12	Minami Takahashi Haruka Shimazaki	Christmas Special	Yoyakushita Christmas Manatsu no Christmas Rose Anata no Christmas Eve (Duet ver.)	December 21, 2013 (2013-12-21)
13	Post Kouhaku Uta Gassen Special A Backstage look at 48 Group's rehearsals and performance at the 64th Kouhaku Uta Gassen			January 11, 2014 (2014-01-11)
22		4 Years After Tōhoku Disaster		March 22, 2014 (2014-03-22)
23	AKB48 Sprint Concert - Special Live Broadcast Live from National Olympic Stadium + Haruka Shimazaki birthday surprise			March 29, 2014 (2014-03-29)
32	6th Senbatsu Sousenkyo - Special Live Broadcast Hosted by: Mayu Watanabe (Placed 1st)			June 7, 2014 (2014-06-07)
35	AKB48 SHOW Presents: Documentary of AKB48 - A to Z 2014 (2-part special)			July 5, 2014 (2014-07-05)
36				July 12, 2014 (2014-07-12)

Opening Title Sequence

• Version 1 - Episode 01-43 (Not used in episodes 22, 35 & 36)
  • Episodes 10, 23 & 32 does not feature a 48G member on ! box at show title card
  • Episode 12 used a Christmas theme instead of normal tune. "Merry Christmas" end title appears at end of Anata no Christmas Eve performance along with NHK Endcard just after closing credits.
  • Episode 19, 26 & 38 used a Nogizaka46 Show variant
  • Episode 24 used a AKB48 SHOW! Yuko Oshima Special variant; normal logo. Excerpt from "Sasae" plays at end of show while Yuko says final words before her graduation.
  • Episode 43 used a Mayu Watanabe Show variant, and blue objects instead of pink. Excerpt from "Mayu no Tame ni" plays at end of show, while Mayu thanks the viewers for watching the show.
• Version 2 - Episode 44-87 (Not used in episode 67)
  • Episodes 44, 69 & 75 does not feature a 48G member at flag on Title Card
  • Episodes 48, 61, 66 & 79 used a Nogizaka46 Show variant
  • Episode 51 used a SKE48 Show variant
  • Episode 54 used a Milky Show variant
  • Episode 56 used a HKT48 Show variant
  • Episodes 60 & 69 used a NMB48 Show variant
  • Episode 84 used a Rena Matsui Show variant
• Version 3 - Episode 88 onward
  • Episode 91, 110 & 114 used a Nogizaka46 Show variant, using purple background and footage from other performances from Nogizaka46 and Nogidan. Instead of AKB48, Nogizaka46 (in Japanese characters) appears on marquee at opening sequence. A 90-minute special used an alternative opening only for this episode.
  • Episode 100 (aired January 16, 2016) featured a Special Variant.
  • Episode 101 (aired January 23, 2016) used a Nāna Show variant, with no color swap at background on title card, to promote her solo debut "Migiashi Evidence". Footage from this episode's performances were used on title sequence.
  • Episode 109 (airing in April 9, 2016) will use a Minami Takahashi Show variant, to celebrate Takamina's graduation.
  • Episode 115 (airing in June 4, 2016) will use a Sashihara Show variant.

Special episodes

Nogizaka46 hosts special episodes with every N46 release

• Nogizaka46 Show! airs along with every release of N46 album or single (as of May 28, 2016 (2016-05-28), with the release of "Sorezore no Isu"). It first aired on March 1, 2014 (2014-03-01) in the episode 19, for promoting the single "Seifuku no Mannequin". Episode 79 who featured "Taiyō Nokku" was re-aired on September 26, 2015 (2015-09-26) as Special Encore. On February 11, 2016 (2016-02-11), a 90 minute special was aired at 16:30 JST (instead of normal schedule) for celebrate the National Foundation Day.
• SKE48 Show! (No. 51), aired November 22, 2014 (2014-11-22). It was a recap of SKE48 best performances and interviews (until the episode airdate).
• NMB48 Show! (No. 60 & 69), both aired 2015. The January 31 episode was a recap of NMB48 best performances and interviews (until the episode airdate). The April 11 episode was broadcast live from NMB48 Theater, in Osaka, Japan.
• HKT48 Show! (No. 56), aired December 29, 2014 (2014-12-29), thus making the last episode of 2014. It was a recap of HKT48 best performances and interviews (until the episode airdate).
• NGT48 Show! is an upcoming themed episode, for celebrating the NGT48 official debut.
• Mayu Watanabe Show! (No. 43), aired September 13, 2014 (2014-09-13), with Mayu Watanabe as main host for winning the 6th Senbatsu Sosenkyo. Thus marked the Season 1 Finale of AKB48 Show. The following episode (No. 44, aired October 4) started a second season.
• Milky Show! (No. 54), aired December 13, 2014 (2014-12-13), with Miyuki Watanabe as main host for winning the 5th Janken Taikai. Re-aired on February 28, 2015.
• Rena Matsui Show! (No. 84), aired August 22, 2015 (2015-08-22), marking the last TV show featuring Rena Matsui, who subsequently left SKE48.
• Yuko Oshima Special (No. 24), aired April 5, 2014 (2014-04-05), marking the last appearance of Yuko Oshima, before leaving the group. For this episode, the show's logo at top left screen is colored green (Team K's official color).
• 10th Anniversary Special (No. 97 & 98), aired on December 19 & 26, features highlights from 10th anniversary stage held on December 8th, and graduated members joined the stage for special performances, along with anniversary events from other 48G sister groups.
• 100th Episode Special (No. 100), aired January 16, 2016 (2016-01-16), marks the AKB48 SHOW milestone episode. Yuria Kizaki is the main guest from Takamina's Room. Re-airs on February 27, 2016 (2016-02-27) for a special encore.
• Nāna Show! (No. 101), aired January 23, 2016 (2016-01-23). Musical numbers are performed by Nana Fujita for winning the 6th Annual Janken Tournament held on previous year.
• Sashihara Show (No. 115), airs June 4, 2016 (2016-06-04). Musical numbers are performer by Rino Sashihara, winner from 7th Senbatsu Sousenkyo held on June 6, 2015.

Live broadcast episodes

• AKB48 8th Anniversary (No. 10), aired December 7, 2013 (2013-12-07) and lasted 34 minutes longer (23:30-00:04 JST) to mark AKB48's 8th anniversary celebration that night. This episode was broadcast live from AKB48 Theater in Tokyo.
• Spring Concert Highlights (No. 23), aired March 29, 2014 (2014-03-29) and lasted 45 minutes longer (23:30-00:15 JST) from National Olympic Stadium. The following day concert was postponed to June 8 and moved to Ajinomoto Stadium, due to the closing of the National Olympic Stadium. Along with the concert highlights, Haruka Shimazaki celebrated her birthday that night. The following episode (No. 24) was the last appearance of Yuko Oshima on this show, before her official leaving ceremony held on June 9.
• 1st Anniversary Special (No. 44), aired October 4, 2014 (2014-10-04), thus marking the Season 2 Premiere with a special live broadcast from AKB48 Theater. For this episode, a Season 2 title sequence was introduced. Instead of a flag with a 48G member shouting the show's title, it was shouted by AKB48 members in off-voice.
• NMB48 Show! (No. 69), aired April 11, 2015 (2015-04-11), and broadcast live from NMB48 Theater, in Osaka. Thus marked the second NMB48 themed episode, as of January 31.
• Post-Sosenkyo airs on a Saturday which helds Senbatsu Sosenkyo events. In 2014, Mayu Watanabe hosted the June 7 episode from Ajinomoto Stadium. In 2015, Rino Sashihara hosted the June 6 episode from Fukuoka Dome, which was re-aired on July 25, 2015 and May 21, 2016. In 2016, another live episode will take place from Hard-Off Eco Stadium (Niigata), and the winner from this Sousenkyo will host.

Occasional episodes

• Post-Earthquake Episodes (No. 22, 67) are special episodes focused on 48G groups visiting the Tōhoku region. These episodes have no opening sequence.
• Post-Kōhaku Uta Gassen (No. 13, 57, 99) are special episodes aired after every Kouhaku Utagassen broadcast (Second Saturday of January), as the first episode of the new year. 48G performances at NHK Hall are shown, along with rehearsals. The 66th Kouhaku episode serves as prologue to a special milestone on following week.
• Request Hour Episodes (No. 28, 63) are special episodes recorded in late January, during Request Hour events, airing near March/April. The NMB48 Request Hour special episode (No. 87), along with Asa ga Kita Press Conference marks the Season 2 Finale, airing on September 19, 2015 (2015-09-19).
• Encore Episodes are reruns of previous episodes from AKB48 Show. The first episode re-aired is the Request Hour 2014 special (28), followed by Team B Special (33). The Encore Episodes air sporadically. Episode 85 (airing October 31, 2015) was scheduled to air because AKB48 released Halloween Night in August and broadcast is on a same date of the song.
• The February 1, 2014 (2014-02-01) episode was aired as Extra Episode, with a recap of the first 15 episodes of AKB48 Show.
• AKB48 SHOW was broadcast their first milestone episode in January 16, 2016 (2016-01-16), when the 100th Episode aired on NHK BS Premium.

Trivia

• Episode 94 wasn't aired on NHK World Premium due to sports coverage.
• During the 66th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, AKB48 members performed "Moonlight Densetsu", from Sailor Moon, but this performance wasn't aired on January 9, 2016 broadcast (due to copyright issues). Nogizaka46's performances also not featured on broadcast, but aired on Nogizaka46 Show special episode at January 22th and February 11th 2016.
• Evetually, music videos are featured on the show. On episode 20 (aired March 1, 2014 (2014-03-01)), music video from "Heavy Rotation" was aired in honor of 100 million viewers on YouTube (reached in early 2014). As the NGT48's YouTube channel has not released full MVs to date, only this program delivered the full version of "Max Toki 315 Gou" in episode 108 (aired April 2, 2016 (2016-04-02)).

Staff

Cast

• AKB48
• SKE48
• NMB48
• HKT48
• Nogizaka46 (on Nogizaka46 Show episodes)
• Keyakizaka46 (Starting April 2016)
• NGT48 (Starting September 5, 2015)

Guests

• Ian Moore (speaker from AKB Classroom)
• Kazumi Urano
• Natsumi Hirashima
• Shinobu Chino
• Atsuko Maeda (former AKB48 member)
• Tomomi Itano (former AKB48 member)
• Kenji Kitagawa (AKB48 staff assistant producer)
• Yasushi Akimoto (48G General Producer) on episode 106

External links

• Official website (Japanese)