MNL48 members and Kenkyuusei received an overwhelming support on their first official Fan Meet on June 3, 2018 at Elements at Centris.
Everyone was excited to finally see their Oshi live especially now that they have fully transformed into an idol-like individuals after a month of trainings and makeovers. The event was indeed special for both fans and the members since this was their first official gathering with their supporters after the General Election.
MNL48 Kenkyusei members greet the fans who are in the line #MNL48FirstFanmeet #MNL48 pic.twitter.com/YNB5d6sYYY
— animePHproject (@animePHproject) June 3, 2018
The excitement of the fans was evident even from the registration area. Some of them headed straight to the merchandise booth right after registration to buy exclusive MNL48 items including the most sought after MNL48 photo cards. Each pack contained 5 random photo cards of a member of the Main and Kenkyuusei groups together with a handwritten gift card from one of the members. Fans competed to complete the photoset of their Oshi as they traded photos and cards with each other.
The girls did not disappoint the fans as they opened the event with their lively performance of the Filipino version of one of the AKB48’s hit song Aitakatta. After their first performance, the girls then welcomed their supporters with sweet smiles and excitement as they introduced themselves one by one that earned loud cheers from the crowd.
To make the event more fun and interactive, the girls randomly picked members of the audience to join them on stage to play a game of Pik Pak Poink hosted by MNL48 First Generation members Lei, Dian, Ecka, and Erica. The girls selected 4 of their strongest Pik Pak Poink co-members to compete against their fans. Shaina, Necca, Aly, and Joyce gamely played with the four lucky fans who won exciting prizes from one of the event’s sponsors, Mogu Mogu.
After the game, the girls wowed the crowd with their performance of “Heavy Rotation” which was also translated into Filipino. Lucky fans were able to capture the special moment of the fan meet in the Fujifilm Raffle. Winners from the audience were selected using a random number generator.
Lucky fans were able to capture the special moment of the fan meet in the Fujifilm Raffle. Winners from the audience were selected using a random number generator. Those whose numbers matched the ones on their wristbands were able to have a polaroid selfie with their favorite MNL48 member.
More surprises were announced during the event including the launch of the MNL48 Fan Club. Faith, Ash and Alice briefly introduced the app which features news updates of the members, upcoming events and singles, and theater ticket reservations and announcements.
For their final song, MNL48 First Generation and Kenkyuusei closed the event with a special performance of the Filipino version of “Sakura No Hanabiratachi”. The girls got emotional during their performance as they recalled all the hardships they went through until they reached their idol status today.
At the end of the song, overall team captain Alice gave a heartfelt message to the audience and congratulated the whole team for the successful event. “Maraming maraming salamat po sa tulong niyo para mabuo po ‘yung pangarap namin,” Alice expressed.
MNL48 Center Girl Sheki was also overwhelmed with the support that the group has been receiving. “Sana ‘wag niyo po kaming iiwan hanggang dulo. Thank you po sa lahat ng effort niyo and sa time niyo na binibigay sa amin. Kayo po ‘yung nagiging lakas namin kaya nagagawa po namin ang lahat,” said Sheki to everyone who joined them for this special occasion.
Sheki was thrilled to inform the audience that the MNL48 Theater will be opening soon. She announced that the Kami 7 will be fly to Japan soon to train and hone their talents as idols and prepare for their upcoming debut single. She also added that they will be attending the AKB48 53rd Single World General Election to be held in Nagoya on June 16.
To end the fan meet, the girls marched down the aisle to give their fans a final wave and bow. Last in line was Sheki, who gave the final bow as a sign of her gratitude on behalf of the group.
