Top 10 best AKB48 group single

OK, ladies and gentlemen its time for my first ever top ten. And for the first episode, i'm going  to rank my top ten AKB48 group single. now, actually at first i was thinking to rank my top ten AKB48 group song, but because the AKB48 group has literally thousands of song, its pretty much impossible to pick just ten, so i decided to narrow it down for now, i'm limiting my option to just the main track of any AKB48 group single, including the sister groups. overseas sister group does not count 'cause their singles are basically translated version of AKB48 singles. and as of july 1st 2017 there are 94 singles released by the AKB48 group, in which 48 of them are from AKB, 20 from SKE, 16 from NMB, 9 from HKT and 1 from NGT, and now without further ado, this is the list

10. Negaigoto no Mochigusare (AKB48) (2017)

Surprised? AKB48 most recent single takes the #10 spot on this list. A lot of people said that this is a crappy song and its not worth it to be AKB's 48th single, well, i'm not one of them. I really do think that this is a  very very good song. this song was once a choir song, hence the layering of voice it has in the single's version. and that's what i like about this song, the layering of the girls voice (35 of them) really makes this song stands out from others. they also made the single version to have this classic european, sort of a waltz feel to it, which i think really works for this song. a lot of people doesn't like this song because its to slow and it doesn't worth it to be AKB's 48th single, but i think this is what the new generation of AKB will be, trying new things, and trying to be different.

9. Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo (NMB48) (2011)

NMB48 debut single from 2011 is at #9. this song is probably the best debut song by any of AKB48 sister group. displaying the full potential of the osaka based group, Zetsumetsu Korokami Shoujo is an upbeat dance track that paved the road to a lot of great thing, and create this image of NMB48 to be this dance power house which is what NMB is known today. centered by at that time future aces of the group, Watanabe Miyuki and Yamamoto Sayaka (and side note, at the beginning Miyuki was actually considered to be the #1 ace of NMB and not Sayanee) this song create's a statement of what a bunch of girls from Kansai can do....

8. 12 Byou (HKT48) (2015)

The favorite song of pretty much every HKT48 member, and no wonder, this 4 minutes guitar riff is one of the best song that HKT have at the moment. this song is just very well thought out, obviously the guitar riff of this song is the main point of this song, but the rest, from the vocal to the bass, its just very well thought out. it feels like this song was made to be played by a live band and not an idol group. and this is also the first HKT single that Miyawaki Sakura has centered, ok it may be a double center, but still its a nice thing that Sakura finally get her first HKT center song.

7. Seishun Dokei (NGT48) (2017)

NGT's debut single is on #7. "hold on" you might say "if Zetsumetsu is the best debut out of all the sister group then why is this song is higher?" well this is simply because i like it more. i like its simplicity, i like the rhyming part on the verse, it can really calm your nerves. this song can really make you feel better after listening to it, and that is why this song is at #7.

6. High Tension (AKB48) (2016)

AKB's last single of 2016, and it is the best, it has to, its paruru's last AKB single, so it has to be good. so 2016 isn't really a great year for AKB48, a lot of top member graduating, the threat of getting overtaken by their rival, and on the music side, not a lot of great single to be proud of (well at least not as good as their rival). so they need to close 2016 with a bang, and they sure did. this song is gold, from that cool sounding guitar intro, to the catchy chorus, its just sounds very good, and it suits paruru's image perfectly. a great send of to one of AKB's best member.

5. Mae Shika Mukanee (AKB48) (2014)

Oshima Yuko's final single for AKB48 is in the top 5. Yuko is one of the best AKB member ever, so i have to include this one, and its not just because she's the center. this is actually a great song, it somehow reminds me to early 90's rock song, especially early greenday songs, a lot of guitar riff,and a lot of drums. and the lyric is just great, i haven't really talk a lot about lyrics here, but this song has a very deep meaning. it has a meaning that whatever happened in the past you have to always look ahead, and never look back. its a very suiting for AKB's situation at that time, Oshima yuko is graduating, and this song is like her saying that "even when i'm gone, you have to keep moving forward".

4. Shekarashika! (HKT48 Ft Kishidan) (2015)

this is probably the first time ever that a sister group released a single featuring another artist, and what an artist it is, Kishidan, one of my favorite japanese band ever. changing their usual cute and cheerful image to a yankee, HKT48  made the statement that they can  also be cool. and this song also comes with what i can only describe as a 40 minutes long music video in the form of the Majisuka Gakuen 0. which is by the way a lot better than the shitty Cabasuka Gakuen. so anyway, because Kishidan is in this song, it is a rock song, and it really has that Kishidan feel to it, which is great, because from what i heard Kishidan does not involve in the making of the song. but still, Shekarashika is a very very good song.

3. Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou (AKB48) (2007)

This song is great for one reason and one reason only, its lyrics. so far i've only heard 2 other song in the whole 48 and 46 group that has the same feel and meaning (more on that in a future post). this song is dark, as in very very dark. it tells a story about someone who got bullied so bad that he/she decided to kill themselves. now this kinds of lyrics really gets into very deep and personal territory. lyrics like

The girl who tried to become a bird
properly lined up her shoes on the roof
Did she want people to admire her manners
or was it insinuation?

and

Even if you take a poll
this late in time about whether there
"was" or "wasn't" any bullying,
the voice of her heart, that which she wanted heard,
won't transmit through the wind

this kind of lyrics can relate to a lot of people, myself included. its not the kind where it said that we have to be strong and we have to fight back and that sort of BS, because for the most of time, we can't fight back, we can't tell anybody about it, because were scared. and we have to keep it all for ourselves, this leads to depression and of course suicide. this is a song about what bullying can do to the mental state of a person. its not a song with a happy ending, but it has really a very important meaning.

2. Green Flash (AKB48) (2015)

What can i say about this song, its pretty much perfect. a great song all rounder, everything from the start to the finish is perfect, i could say that this is the best song AKB48 has ever made. it has that calming feeling to it, the lyrics is great and meaningful, i even like the rapping part. honestly i don't know what else to say, this song is just to good. but is not the #1

1. Yuuhi wo Miteiruka? (AKB48) (2007)

This is the song that made me a fan, this is the song that made me like AKB48 in the first place, that's why it gets the #1 spot. this song has one of the smallest senbatsu in the history of AKB, only 10 people, but that's does not mean this is a bad song, ooh no. Again its the lyrics that got me, this song is the complete opposite of Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou. this song has the meaning that everything is gonna be ok

i mean this

What a day today was

I think about it along the road home

There're sad and painful moments,

But the fun moments outnumber them

All of my family and friends

I don't want to worry them

I have to force myself to tell a few lies with a smile

Stop taking things upon yourself…

and this

Feeling the direction of the seasonal wind

And watching out for flowers at your feet

With a small encounter

If you can be a little grateful, 

We can be happy

and this

Are you watching the sky as the sun sets?

The time passes

Doesn't' that body seem beautiful?

Yes! The day as it is ends 

And a night that resets everything comes

You hurry along the road home alone

Why is it

That you don't praise yourself?

Hey, let's look up like we should

You're alive in your own way

tell me, tell me that these lyrics does not made you feel better.... it does, does it? and that's why i put this song in #1, because the whole song is made just to make you feel better, makes you forget everything bad that happened, makes you feel good about life.

well that is my top 10 best AKB48 group single, its not perfect, maybe there are a lot of song that you think should be in there, but this is my personal opinion, and to me these are the best. next week i'm going to rank my favorite Nogizaka songs, so look forward to that.

but for now, this is Delta

Over and out.




Credit to Studio48 for the lyrics and Stage48 wiki for the picture