Keyakizaka46: A few suggestions for the 5th single senbatsu

Suggestions from Japanese fans for the new formation. Many people are thinking of Hirate at centre with new wingmen every time. And lots of people are thinking this is the time for the three members who have never been in the front line to get their chance (Habu, Ozeki and Nijika).

These are mainly suggestions from Japanese posters. I will put my own suggestions at the end: a couple of expectable ones and a couple of strange ones.

4th single senbatsu announcement

A full suggestion from someone:
Saitou - Oda - Harada - Suzumoto - Satou - Nagasawa - Yonetani
Moriya - Shida - Nagahama - Sugai - Koike - Imaizumi - Kobayashi
Uemura - Risa - Habu - Hirate - Ishimori - Rika - Ozeki

Someone else suggests that Techi and Neru should stay together. That would push Uemura or Rika back

Here's the current formation:
Habu - Ishimori - Ozeki - Harada - Saitou - Koike - Satou
Suzumoto - Imaizumi - Rika - Moriya - Risa - Kobayashi - Shida
Nagasawa - Uemura - Nagahama - Hirate - Sugai - Oda -Yonetani

Another full suggestion, with Kobayashi up front and Za Cool either side of Hirate:
Saitou - Oda - Koike - Satou - Harada - Nagasawa - Yonetani
Suzumoto - Imaizumi - Nagahama - Sugai - Moriya - Uemura - Rika
Ishimori - Kobayashi - Risa - Hirate - Shida - Ozeki - Habu

And another suggestion, with Suzumoto and Kobayashi up front and Rika and Shida moved back:
Harada - Saitou - Koike - Satou - Nagasawa - Oda - Yonetani
Uemura - Moriya - Shida - Nagahama - Rika - Sugai - Imaizumi
Ozeki - Suzumoto - Habu - Hirate - Risa - Ishimori - Kobayashi

Some other ideas from posters:

• Sugai and Moriya either side of Hirate (since they have  full range of expression, from serious to smiling).
• Za Cool (Risa x Mona) either side of Hirate
• Double Watanabe (Risa + Rika) either side of Hirate
• Imaizumi wants to be centre in either the first or second row, but after this absence, that would seem too much.
• Except for handshake, Uemura hasn't really distinguished herself, and should go back to the 3rd row
• Put Ozeki up front only if it is a cheerful song
• Front: Ishimori - Ozeki - Rika - Hirate - Risa - Kobayashi - Habu
• Since Neru and Sugai have done a good job, it might be harsh to move them
• But Shida, Kobayashi and Moriya could all be up front
• I think Pon and Risa will be up front
• Ishimori - Ozeki - Kobayashi - Hirate - Watanabe - Imaizumi - Habu (prediction plus hope)
• Habu - Imaizumi - Kobayashi - Hirate - Ishimori - Suzumoto - Ozeki (all except maybe Ozeki can definitely both dance and sing; Ishimori, having been in the 3rd row all along, deserves a chance beside Hirate)
• If it's a song emphasizing singing rather than dance, there could be a triple centre of Ishimori - Sugai - Hirate. Ishimori rising this far would be a big success story.
• Habu and Ishimori have recognizable voices (listen to Seifuku to Taiyou) and could make a happy, un-Keyakizaka-like feeling
• Without Zumiko, the 7-7-7 formation is broken. Maybe it's time for a double centre.
• If it's a double centre, at this point that could be Techi-Neru. 
• The second line is the heart of the group. The front is less important. 
• There's no need for much change, just follow the pattern (of moving third-liners up front). The important question is Imazumi.
• People are frustrated and depressed at the lack of news about Zuumin. Will she be back for the 5th single? Will she have to rest longer?

My own suggestions

Okay, I guess now it's my turn. One approach is to keep on as we have been, with three rows of 7 (if Imaizumi comes back), and bringing Habu, Ozeki and Nijika up front (the only Kanji Keyakis without front-row time).

That could give us something like:
Saitou - Uemura - Koike - Satou - Nagasawa - Oda - Yonetani
Harada - Moriya - Shida - Nagahama - Rika - Imaizumi - Sugai
Ishimori - Ozeki - Suzumoto - Hirate - Kobayashi - Risa - Habu

Or switch Suzumoto and Sugai. And I think Harada has grown a lot over the past six months, and would fit in the front row any time. Ditto for Satou Shiori.

I expect they will keep going with the 7-7-7 and give everyone a chance up front. But Aki-P is unpredictable and likes to challenge his groups. Management may have decided that they have to concentrate on making the group more popular and better-known, as opposed to trying to increase the popularity of members other than Hirate. Konno-san said something like that when he was asked about changing centres. In that case, they may just go for their best up front, with Suzumoto, Kobayashi, Risa and Imaizumi moving in.

The best-known members among the general public right now are Hirate, Neru, Risa and Sugai, I think. How about Risa - Neru - Suzumoto - Hirate - Kobayashi - Imaizumi - Sugai? Suzumoto is both the best dancer and my oshi, and Kobayashi needs to get back up front, where she belongs: she's smart, pretty, and can sing, dance and play musical instruments. Give her a chance to shine and to learn how to talk to the media.

If Zumiko can't come back yet, you can either go with a 7-6-7 formation, or else temporarily bring in a Katou Shiho, Sasaki Kumi, or Saitou Kyouko from Hiragana (to the third line). As a Hiragana fan, I'd love to see one of them get a chance. It would give a morale boost to them all. In an interview, Sasaki Kumi said that until they performed with the Kanjis in the Christmas lives, they hardly felt like members of Keyakizaka46 at all. W-Keyakizaka no Uta helped, but actually getting a chance in the senbatsu would give them a sense of really being part of the group, and of having an unlimited ceiling.

I have always been a supporter of Hirate at centre, but now even I am musing about how to introduce alternatives. I think it would have to start with a double- or triple-centre, keeping Hirate fully in view, but with help. I can picture a romantic or at least non-violent song with a Techi-Neru double centre, singing to each other. I can also picture someone else at centre (or as part of a triple centre) flanked by Hirate and one of Sugai/Risa/Neru/Kobayashi/Suzumoto. The centre could come from that list, too. My own choices would be Suzumoto and Neru, with one of the two in the middle: probably Neru in the middle with the powerful dancing of Hirate and Suzumoto around her.

Reading the tea-leaves, it seems likely that we are going to see a continuation of the current pattern, with Habu, Ozeki and Nijika in the front line, and Hirate continuing at centre. The senbatsu announcement show was probably recorded on either 24 May or 31 May, so people look at the members for clues as to whether they are happy or sad with the arrangement. Hard to see anything out of the ordinary, so maybe it is all continuing as expected. One tea leaf: I think we have seen more of Habu, Nijika and Ozeki on KeyaKake and in the media recently.

(source)