Problematic Femslash Prompts

In her last promotional picture in 2017, Oshima Ryoka looks a lot like Watanabe Mayu. Not, I think, that they are similar in appearance, but around this time, wardrobe and makeup were eager to smooth out all members into this sort of comparative Sakamachi series appearance, a hope that they might reverse engineer some of the increasing popularity of Sony's rival group. Rest assured, she really doesn't really look like that in her brief appearance in 2014's Sailor Zombie drama.



Ryo-chan passed the auditions for AKB on the cusp of the group's big change and at the peak of their popularity. For a year, she numbered amongst the kenkyuusei, and then, in the big shuffle at Tokyo Dome in 2012 that comes up so much in these entries, as Maeda Atsuko bowed out from Team A, Ryo-chan joined their ranks, the team now under the captainship of Shinoda Mariko.

For a year, she remained with them, appearing in a campaign for JR East's Yokohama Line as part of the promotional unit, Team Kanagawa, alongside Okada Nana and Kawaei Rina, before eventually being transferred to Kuramochi Asuka's Team B at the next big shake-up at Zepp DiverCity in 2014. Later that year, Ryo-chan appeared in the senbatsu for the first time, standing alongside formerly graduated members, again with Kawaei Rina, for Kibouteki Refrain, which is a moment I've been thinking about a lot since oh my pumpkin! released.

By 2015, Ryo-chan had her first solo concert under her belt and had been appointed as co-captain of Team B, taking over from Oya Shizuka, and was one of the members to appear in Central Park in New York before 5,000 people as part of AKB's return to the city for the Japan Day celebrations. I can't imagine what it must have been like to stand on that stage; I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be in that crowd! Later in the year, she appeared one last time with Kawaei for the last single before the other girl graduated, the slightly overwrought Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai, the MV for which feels like Heisei era Kamen Rider and also marks the last appearance with AKB of Matsui Rena and Ikoma Rina. An interesting aside, but apparently Iriyama Anna was offered a role in the senbatsu for this single but she refused, possibly fearful of what attention it might bring after the attack on her and Kawaei in 2014. By this point, AKB was so big that the senbatsu for singles was functionally meaningless, an extra layer now added to the dynamic, the "media senbatsu", meaning that you could be in the line-up for the single and still not get the increased attention when it came to promoting it. Such was the case with Ryo-chan alas.



2016 was a quiet year, with Ryo-chan averaging an appearance in the senbatsu once a year. Tsubasa wa Iranai is very much indictive of the AKB of that era, Mukaichi Mion in centre position, Iriyama Anna returning once more to stand alongside Okada Nana and Kato Rena, AKS's first misguided push of NGT members. It feels a sad note to end mention of Ryo-chan's activities.

Growing up alongside Aigasa Moe, pretending to be AKB members in middle school before both girls made became part of the thirteenth generation, Ryo-chan and her peers made AKB what it was in that moment. We kind of gloss over these years now, thinking of the era of the Kami 7, and then the explosion of Team 8, and eventually, where we are now, the Oguri Yui era, but in writing these entries, I hope I can preserve a little of the AKB we too readily forget.

Title: Even if I can’t fly, I can still walk
Universe: AKB48
Prompt: Power Rangers Dino Fury: S28E03 - Lost Signal
Character(s): Kashiwagi Yuki/Mukaichi Mion
Rating: U
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Again, she caught sight of her reflection, the peak of her baseball cap, the N interwoven with the Y. If she were to write fanfiction about Mion, where would she start?
Length: 1094 words
Author's Notes: I sort of made Yukirin a dork. More of a dork, I mean. Many thanks to Misa-chan for translation of the lyrics to Tsubasa wa Iranai. also: external link.



( Even if I can’t fly, I can still walk )