#35: AKB48 49th Single Sousenkyo Predictions

Selective Hearing Radio

Topic 1: General Election Talk

- What are your thoughts on this year’s crop of quitters and dropouts?
- Who is the most surprising non-participant? Of those who entered into this year’s election, who do you think should have thought twice since they have no chance of ranking?
- Are you going to stay up and watch this thing or just do the sensible thing and sleep and watch the Internet explode in the morning?

Topic 2: Observations

The prelim rankings have been released. So much for a boring and pedestrian election this year.

- The senbatsu has a very different look based on opening numbers. Did you expect this to happen so quickly with all the openings made available? Or were you expecting the same old same old with little to no competition at the top?
- Just who is Ogino Yuka and which shadow organization is pushing her to the top?
- What are your thoughts on possible voter fraud? A 90 place jump seems for a relatively unknown (in the grand scheme of all that is AKB and its sister groups) member seems rather fishy doesn’t it?
- Is Jurina destined to never make #1? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride? Will her fans push her to the top when all is said and done?
- Is this the end of the Sashihara/Watanabe reign at the top? Or will their respective fan bases somehow find ways to get them gains in the end?
- Sutou Ririka seems to have swindled her way into top of Undergirls through strategic Mahjong. Will she have enough of the votes from chronically addicted gamblers and the elderly who like to play the game to stay there?
- NGT appears to be the group who will get the mega push from their fans this year. Agree or disagree?
- The number of votes to just place into the election appears to rise every year. It is possible it could be between 14k - 15k just to place at 80. Do you think that might be too high or will it say closer to the mid 13k mark like last year?

Topic 3: Pick a Winner

- Who is going to be 2017’s Ms. Irrelevant? (#80)
- Who takes the “Scandal Ranking” (#26) and what do you think this person’s scandal will be?
- Pick your center for each of the non-senbatsu group rankings
- Out of the top 5 in the preliminary rankings who takes the top prize? Or do you believe it will be someone unexpected?
- Last question, if you were to base the election on who will get an ugly ass painting who do you believe should win?