“AKB48 no Anta, Dare?” in JKT48 Theater

Last Thursday, on the day before the joint concert between AKB48 and JKT48, fans in Jakarta were greeted with a surprise announcement that there would be a filming of the TV program AKB48 no Anta, Dare? in JKT48 Theater. The event was restricted to members of the JKT48 Official Fan Club, who had to submit a lottery to win the right to become an audience member during the filming.

This is the second time JKT48 has appeared on AKB48 no Anta, Dare? since their first appearance in April 2013. We previously translated the episode where Melody, Kinal, Haruka, Veranda, and Nabilah appeared in Japan. This time, JKT48 were the hosts as producers and AKB48 members came to Jakarta to film a special episode in JKT48 Theater.

About Anta, Dare?

Rena Nozawa (second from left) at a live broadcast of AKB48 no Anta, Dare? on September 23, 2014.

AKB48 no Anta, Dare? is usually broadcast from the AKB48 Cafe & Shop in Akihabara. This is one of the few times the program has ever been broadcast outside its usual venue, which makes it a milestone for producers to bring the program all the way to Jakarta. This event is also different from other episodes of the program, which are usually broadcast live. Instead, producers would record and edit the footage before airing the program in Japan.

The program was conceived as a way for lesser known AKB48 members to get more screen time so that fans can get to know them better. Rena Nozawa has already appeared on the program a number of times, allowing her to gain more experience in speaking Japanese to fan audiences, as well as to seek out more avenues to grow her fan base in Japan.

Filming

The filming of the episode in JKT48 Theater involved 13 members.

• AKB48 (5): Sakiko Matsui, Ayaka Morikawa (Aaya), Wakana Natori (Wakanyan), Rina Hirata (Hirari), Rena Nozawa
• JKT48 (8): Melody Nurramdhani Laksani, Haruka Nakagawa, Jessica Veranda, Nabilah Ratna Ayu Azalia, Rina Chikano (Chikarina), Rezky Wiranti Dhike, Ratu Vienny Fitrilya, Cindy Yuvia

After some trial runs by the producers to teach the audience how to do a title call of the show, the filming began with members entering the stage performing “First Rabbit” in Japanese. At one point, this song was the opening theme song of the show, so it’s quite fitting that they would perform it for this episode because JKT48 also knows this song. They then performed “Karena Kusuka Dirimu”, the Indonesian version of “Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara”.

Despite performing away from their own theater, AKB48 members seemed quite at home performing in JKT48 Theater. During this initial performance, the difference between AKB48 and JKT48 is perhaps the most apparent. Having had more stage experience, AKB48 members know how to make use of their stage time despite not being able to sing a song in a foreign language. They fooled around with each other as JKT48 sang “Karena Kusuka Dirimu”, letting the audience see a more candid side of themselves. On the other hand, JKT48 felt slightly awkward when they were not able to sing the Japanese lyrics of “First Rabbit”.

As the AKB48 members introduced themselves, it was clear that each had picked up on quite a bit of Indonesian during their stay in Jakarta. Sakiko even perfectly copied Haruka’s standard “Aku cinta kalian semua; kalian cinta aku?” introduction in Indonesian, to the amusement of the audience and other members. However, Haruka was not to be outdone by Sakiko, stepping up her own game by teasing the audience a bit more than usual and pulling off a “Sakitnya di sini tahu” punch line.

The Japanese comedy duo Uroshi City, composed of Manabu Kaneko and Taigi Asuwa, were the show’s hosts. They had brought a special present for Chikarina, who had become a regular of AKB48 no Anta, Dare? in Japan and appeared more than 60 times—one of the highest—in the program before she moved to Jakarta to join JKT48. She was known for her character role-play as a Mexican villager named ‘Chicano’ (pun on the last name Chikano), who dances in her poncho and sombrero with maracas to cheer up those who are feeling down. The Uroshi City duo brought her outfit from Japan so that Chikarina would be able to role-play the same character during this episode of the program. She was very moved by this, as it enabled her to show a different side of her character than JKT48 fans had never seen before.

Members were then split according to their group affiliation and went head-to-head in seven challenge games. Perhaps the most memorable moment is Veranda and Aaya competing on who can make herself sneeze faster by using rolled-up tissue paper to tickle her own nose. Veranda won, producing a very cute sneeze, to Aaya’s frustration. Ironically, Aaya herself finally sneezed as both teams were about to begin the next game.

In another game, Sakiko and Yuvia went head-to-head in a competition to see who can find the bread bun with spicy fillings. Unfortunately for Yuvia, she found it first among maybe eight others and started pouting in a very cute way. The other members were equally surprised at the fact that she found it on the first try that they started to try all the other buns (including Haruka, who ate four of them all by herself). In the end, JKT48 proved to be a formidable opponent for AKB48, winning five of the seven games. As Haruka mentioned, perhaps playing in their own theater gives them a home advantage.

Members also taught audience members a complex exercise routine based on the melody of “Fortune Cookie in Love”. Of course, with 10 members taking turns explaining her own routine, the scene became quite chaotic, though fun. At the end, an audience member was called up to find out whether he lost weight as a result of the exercise. On the contrary, his weight increased (by a fraction of a kilogram)! It was fun seeing Hirari trying to reason with the Uroshi City comedians that sweat from the exercise makes our clothes wet, and thus adding to our overall weight.

As the filming wound down, both teams performed “Oogoe Diamond” in Japanese and “Jejak Awan Pesawat” (“Hikoukigumo”) in Indonesian. Members then had the opportunity to say their final words. Of note are perhaps Aaya’s and Rena’s closing words. Aaya, who announced her graduation from AKB48 earlier this month, asked the audience to join in saying her catchphrase for the first and final time in Jakarta. Rena, who had returned to perform with JKT48 for the first time since June 2014, expressed her gratitude to be able to appear on a TV program she loves on the stage she loves with the audience she loves.

Impressions

Overall, I felt the experience was quite unique, and I was glad I was able to participate in the filming. Despite several glitches with the sound system, most of the filming went smoothly. I had watched several episodes of AKB48 no Anta, Dare? and always liked the candid manner in which the show was conducted. There was no pressure for members to perform flawlessly like in a theater performance. All they needed to do was to let their personality shine.

What’s special about this experience is seeing AKB48 members live. This was my first time seeing AKB48 members, and I felt that they were somehow more outgoing than how I’ve always seen them in concert videos or Japanese TV programs. Perhaps they were carried away by the candidness of JKT48 members and fans. Hirari is a member I had been curious about for a while as a fellow American, and it was fun to see her on stage. I’ve definitely taken a liking to her.

As one of our contributors, Afit, observed, it’s likely that the last year’s attack in Iwate Prefecture caused AKB48 to lose some of its close relationship with fans in their own theater. At JKT48 Theater, they were able to openly interacted with the audience and were not afraid to let loose. (Even Hirari seems to have fallen for Veranda’s adorable demeanor.) It would be a good thing if AKB48 can bring back some of the energy it gained by performing with JKT48 and among JKT48 fans back to Japan and rekindle the idol–fan interaction.

We have not received word on when this particular episode will air on NOTTV.