They have fought the good fight, they have finished the race, they have kept the faith. And while only one member wore the merited crown, everyone went home as winners because MNL48 has officially been born. Yes, the 48 finalists and 27 challengers of the MNL48 First Generation audition are now officially members and are set to begin their journey not just as any idol, but an official 48 Group idol.
It was, to put it mildly, a wild journey full of ups and downs with unexpected twists and corners complicating the way. It has proved so divisive among the local wota that its own bashers included the very people who cheered during its announcement, some of whom even applied for it. It has exhausted even its most ardent supporters with its length and seemingly lack of direction with a last twist (the challengers) that even this author found difficult to take.
More importantly, it forced us to re-think our previous ideas of what idols really are and what they are for. Does it belong to a faithful and hardcore few? Or should it endeavor to be embraced by the masses to survive? More importantly: should an idol come from these faithful and hardcore few? And does the lack of a “membership” to this elite and exclusive group automatically disqualifies anyone from becoming an idol? Or should it be universal, just like its older sister, AKB48?
Such thoughts were running in my mind as I prepared the long journey from Bacoor, Cavite to the ABS-CBN compound. It was a summation of more than a year’s worth of coverage from just before AKB48 Team 8 arrived for Cool Japan Festival 2015, all through the announcement of MNL48 and the subsequent fan-meeting, to the launching of the app and my weekly rankings courtesy of this blog, to the long silence from HHE all through the announcement of their partnership with ABS-CBN and the re-booting of the audition, to the closing of the audition coinciding with Team 8’s third visit in three years, all through the controversies, assumptions, exposes, wrong conclusions, blatant lies, rage-quits and incessant gate-keeping, and accusations of fixing and questions of credibility. Not all of it is going to end with the audition, but the first phase is now mercifully over.
Unlike previous events, Back2gaming.com never received a press-invite partly because the event will be held inside ABS-CBN compound. However, the folks at FilWota helped secure for me a slot in Studio 4 (where the General Election will be held) as part of the studio audience. Words cannot express my gratitude to these fellows who have taken me under their wing.
But lack of press credentials never stopped me from covering stuff before and I really wanted to “cover” the event in the company of friends and so, with my trusty VIVO and selfie-stick, with my Voter’s ID (both COMELEC and MNL48), I hired a Grab Car (it was pay-day, guys. Gimme a break) that would take me from quiet Molino to the heart of Quezon City.
I arrived at our meeting area outside the ELJ Communications Tower and had a good look at the line outside Center Road. This was 5:45AM and the line was already pretty long. Still well below the limit of 400 people, but a long line nonetheless. Youko of FilWota was the second from our group to arrive, me being the first. We stood outside Mini-Stop across the entrance to ELJ and we….were treated to scenes of the candidates arriving. Youko got his moment with Andi, and the Duran twins recognized and waved at him too. The girls knew Youko and Kome pretty well, while me….well, I was just happy to be there.
At around 7AM, our group decided to fall in-line just in case there was a problem with our studio 4 passes. It was there where we linked up with wota from different fan-groups and settled for the long wait. The line included relatives of the finalists, with Gabb Skribikin’s dad being easy to spot because of his height (he is TALL).
Filipino time was in full-force as the announced 8AM opening of the gates went well to 10AM. But there was a significant upgrade from our previous experience with Center Road: the marshals (the ABS-CBN compund guards) regularly gave the fans a briefing on who they are, what are the do’s and don’ts, as well as giving us information in case of emergency. The marshals also helped with distributing the numbers for the entrances and regularly checked the line to ensure that everybody was safe and everything is in order.
Because our group is part of the Studio 4 audience, we were called to the front and were able to enter way ahead of the others. I saw the merchandise booth and finally bought my first official MNL48 light-stick. We still had to wait a while as we were shuffled from one area to another before being told to line-up just outside of Studio 4.
Upon entering the studio, we found out that there were already people waiting there, the crew were scrambling because the segment time was coming up, and that the wotas will definitely be divided, one on each side of the audience. The FilWota group were seated where the Rank 1 trophy was on display which is to the left of the audience area facing the stage (which is to the right from the point of view of the candidates).
The challengers were already seated in front of the stage. It seems that only the Top 48 will have the spotlight today. The group was divided into two and performed It’s Showtime’s opening number. When the first group finished their dance, they immediately went to the Studio 4 stage to wait for the others before the General Election segment finally started.
Unlike AKB48’s Senbatsu Sousenkyo where the announcements began from the lowest qualifying rank, MNL48 started with 16 down to rank 1 to maximize the limited time alloted by It’s Showtime for the MNL48 segment. Rank 16 was given to Quincy who immediately started crying. It was a pleasant surprise since Quincy wasn’t exactly a strong favorite. The young Bicolana who looked like an idol without actually being an idol fan took a long time to calm down (she cried all the way to the first commercial break).
The next surprise for me was Sayaka. She’s always been among the upper ranks throughout the competition so the big fall was surprising. But she accepted it graciously and her beautiful smile never left her face.
There was this funny episode with Gabb. During commercial breaks, she would zone out. As in stare into the space quite literally. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep, exhaustion, or she’s trying to look for her dad, but she looked real cute while she’s in her little world.
When Ashley Cloud Garcia was called at number 9, cheers from the wotas went up for one of the last J-pop fans to “survive” the competition. Rank 9 wasn’t what I had hoped, but she’s still in senbatsu where her skills can be put to good use without the constant pressure of being the center. Ash has grown from the shy kid I met almost a year ago to this pretty young lady ready to take on the idol world and I must confess I felt a certain amount of pride at how much she has grown.
Alice De Leon landed at Rank 6. The former Kawaii5 member brings to MNL48 invaluable work experience and perspective as the only member to have been a professional idol. The surprise of the day though, was Zen at number 5. Seemingly flying out of nowhere, Zen entered Kami 7 and many fans were left wondering how it happened. Still, I think it’s good news as I’m sure she’ll prove worthy of the spot.
It’s no surprise that the top 3 will circle around the “heavy hitters”: Sela, Abby, and Sheki. Sela rose from the bottom half of the Top 200 through her good looks and amazing poise (she had a stint as a model). Abby was always at the top since the First Round, and Sheki has brought in her fans from her Tawag ng Tanghalan days. As it turned out, Sela became Top 3, Abby landing in at Top 2, and Sheki grabbing the crown as Rank 1.
Shekinah Arzaga took a colorful journey to becoming MNL48’s first center. A former “Tawag ng Tanghalan” contestant, Sheki became champion once but wasn’t able to maintain it. She had awesome singing and legitimate dancing skills but couldn’t quite crack the showbiz world until MNL48 came along.
Idol songs are rarely the type you’d give to song birds like Sheki, but even with that knowledge, she still stayed put. Seeing her perform to ‘Aitakatta’ convinced me that, yes, she really can make the transition. She (as well as most of the Kami 7) is proof that even normies can become idols with the right motivation and single-minded determination.
“Yung una po talaga pumasok sa isip ko is si Lord po talaga kasi po kundi dahil sa kaniya, wala po ako sa kinakatayuan ko po ngayon.” Sheki said when asked what first came into her mind when her name was called as center girl. “Ang mapapayo ko po sainyo, kapag may pangarap po kayo wag kayong susuko. Kung madadapa po kayo ngayon, dadating po yung right time. Kung hindi man po ako ang center girl ngayon, siyempre ipagpapatuloy ko pa rin po yung ginagawa ko, magttry and magttry pa rin po ako and gagawin ko po yung best ko para po mapanatili yung pagiging top ranker sa MNL48,” MNL48 center girl continued.
(The first thing that entered my mind is Lord (God), because without him, I won’t be where I’m standing today. My advice to everyone is if you have a dream, don’t give up. Even if you fall, the right time will come. Even if I’m not the Center Girl, of course I will still continue doing what I did, I will try and try and do my best to maintain my rank in MNL48).
Not only did Sheki wear a crown and a royal cape, she got to ride on the throne…..which carried her off the ground. Literally.
Ranks 48 to 17 were announced afterward via a special Online Update episode. My biggest impression with the final results of the voting is that there seemed to be a flux of votes during the last week. I feel that the handshake event played a part in people switching their votes from one girl to the next. My favorite memory of this part was when Nice took her award. For some reason, she didn’t know which side to go, then she suddenly came back to the center, and then made a pose! I don’t know if someone called her back to have her picture taken, but the effect was really comical especially with Nice smiling from ear to ear.
The last part was the announcement of the Kenkyuusei. Now, first of all, despite my strong feelings about the way they were brought in, I don’t feel any animosity towards the girls. The same, however, can’t be said for some fans who’ve made it a point to let the poor girls know their displeasure. Through all that, the girls are now only fighting for the right to be trainees. Trainees, ladies and gentlemen, and because there are 48 full members, it might take a year for any of the kenkyuusei to be promoted.
So it came as a pleasant surprise that after the ranking Kenkyuusei were announced, HHE President Paolo Kurosawa announced that they’ll take the whole group instead. I welcome this development if only to validate the Challengers’ own hardships and the abuse they got from the fans after being unveiled. As of writing though, five kenkyuusei backed out. I wish them the best in their future endeavors.
The girls capped off the General Election with a performance of ‘Aitakatta’ – their first as official members. They’ve performed this song several times already, but this time, there’s a jump to their step, a certain sharpness in their moves, and a new-found confidence as official members.
To cap off the historic event, the first generation members were later on presented to the fans for the first time at Center Road with live coverage on MNL48 official Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Each member was given a chance to thank their supporters and answer some of their questions.
For us though, we opted to eat at nearby Gerry’s Grill. We were tired, our bodies are aching, and we were very hungry (it was 3PM and our last meal was 7AM). Some of our group were planning to go to Ozine in Megamall (where the indie idol groups were currently performing), but the rest of us opted to skip the Center Road part and rest.
Big opportunities await the MNL48 First Generation. Besides performing at their own Theater, the group will have their music recording under Star Music, and international training under AKS (who owns and manages AKB48), and will be the first Filipino endorsers of Tokyo Girls Collection that will soon open in the Philippines. There was also reportedly a reality show featuring the girls staying at the “MNL48 Mansion” (presumably a re-decorated PBB House) during their training.
Here is the video I took of the last part of the program.
https://youtu.be/cK5GhWYYLoc
And here is the official footage of the Center Road event.
Event Post-Mortem:
While the General Election was organized like your typical ABS-CBN event, it undeniably has the markings of AKB48. The girls had new uniforms that made their visuals a bit more closer to that of their sisters, and there is something magical about witnessing aspirants become into full members live.
A few nit-picks though: I believe the girls could have performed more numbers and not just Aitakatta. I understand the time constraint but they could have had the performances after. When the girls were presented to the crowd at Center Road, they all performed Koisuru Fortune Cookie. Imagine, the same song for all three batches.
Second, we really need to work harder on time-management. It’s no joke to stand for four hours, and some have stood in line for much longer. I do appreciate ABS-CBN’s marshals checking us out every now and then and encouraging us to eat because there’s no food inside.
The event coincided with Ozine – a major event for otakus – where the indie idol groups also had an event. Given how divided the local wotas were between MNL48 and the indie idol groups they considered “pure”, there are far fewer wotas in the MNL48 event. Personally, if those indie groups give them their hardcore fix, then so be it. MNL48 won’t ever be able to give them all they demand for, so maybe it’s simply not for them.
For those who’ve opted to stay behind (or decided to take the high road and support both), seeing the girls in AKB-style uniforms and performing to AKB songs in front of us is a treat. The first tangible connections between the idols and the fans slowly being established. MNL48 has a tough road ahead of them, but I do believe that they deserve a second chance from the wotas……but that’s a story for another day.
Post-script:
MNL48 held their first press conference during the writing of this article. Unlike previous events, www.back2gaming.com was not invited. Be that as it may, I still resolve to contine writing about MNL48 because it is my passion and something I really believe in. Nothing can take that away from me.