247 replies to this topic

[Vodka]

I actually have a question about this. I know this is pure semantics and all, but I am curious to figure out the mechanics of this vocabulary!

Me, I love all of the ***48 girls--and I've been a fan for years, but I've always been pretty wishy-washy with saying who I like best (I've done "rankings" before and stuff, but it has never been precise, I've never taken it seriously, and I quickly end up disagreeing with myself...because I just liked them all so much I couldn't pick.) I can say to myself: "Yeah, when it comes down to it, I probably like Yuko better than Acchan" (obvious example haha), but that doesn't really mean all that much, I love them both.
So what I am saying is that it has been this way for years, but recently I've encountered something a little different. I had basically stopped using the internet for awhile, real life etc was getting rough & all, and accordingly managed to miss SDN48's actual debut. I didn't end up getting back up to speed on the ***48 wagons for a few months, but once I did I found myself completely fascinated by Serina. It's weird, because I guess I would say that I "like" (to use the same example from before) Yuko more than Serina, like I can say to myself "Yuko is probably more the kind of person I can easily imagine being friends with." But I think about Serina way, way more often. I find myself watching her videos, looking up her pictures, more than almost any other idol. And, again, it's weird, because I can't pinpoint what it is that keeps drawing me--I can't list off any "traits" that I like about her the way I can for almost any other idol, I can't imagine hanging out with her--I can't imagine or articulate much of anything! I can't just say "oh, obviously I like this, this, and this." I'm not sure what I "like" about her at all. I just find myself, again and again, spending time thinking about or looking at her, wanting to spend (and spending) the little money I can on her merchandise as opposed to any other idol...I bought her photobook after I'd vowed to not buy a photobook again until I graduated school, for example, just on a whim--the only photobook I've purchased since 2009. Furthermore if I were to write a fan letter to any idol it would have to be her, mostly because I'm curious about her in a special way. But it's not just curiousity, that wouldn't be enough to hold me this long and this intensely. I am also obscurely enamored. I'm not satisfied with basic profile information. I want to share my words with her and hope to someday be able to read hers--to share with her, to watch over her, somehow. So....

My question:
Is THAT an oshimen? As opposed to just a "favorite member" or "an idol I like"? I'm just not sure if that's how the term "oshimen" would be used, exactly, although I do definitely feel like there's something different about how I feel towards her, less like she's my "favorite" and more like I'm in love or something lol

That would probably be it yes

It doesn't have to be some "fall in love" thing or something like that of course, but it's the one girl who ranks above all others - even a handful of girls you can call your "favorites". So you could say it's like this in terms of hierarchy: 1) Oshimen, 2) Favorites, 3) The rest.

I want to share my words with her and hope to someday be able to read hers--to share with her, to watch over her, somehow.

With these words specifically. I would say, yes -- you found your oshimen.

Like Krusha said, it doesn't even have to have anything to do with falling in love specifically.

Someone who for some reasons or another keeps standing apart in your mind from any other girl. There will always be members you really REALLY like (hence why I just had to make the "she's not my oshimen but..." thread : P), but if there's one that just....shines above all the others to you. Then that's your oshi. Someone who you find thinking about all the time...someone's who just fascinates you. Often times it's the person who just seems to transcend the "I like her cause she's pretty" line even if you can't pin-point exactly why yet.


It took me about a month of constant thinking to figure out exactly why my oshimen was my oshimen. It was picking away at my brain everyday and I realized I just had to write it down on paper whenever something would come to mind -- everyday I learned something new.
I was finally able to put all my thoughts together in some palpable sense and I've been in the process of typing it all up these past 3 days. And it's been really emotionally fun to write up! I know it sounds weird, eh?


I hope you have fun fully supporting your oshi.

[dev-null]

Hmm... I think I wrote that somewhere already here in the forums... but lets repeat my POV, just in case...

If you find yourself some kind of oshimen then there's one way you can find out for sure if the girl is your oshimen: in any kind of group performance your eyes are just stuck on this very girl, even when she's out of the screen (you're watching the side/border of the screen waiting until she reappears) or is hidden behind other girls (you look right at those other girls w/o noticing them, because you try to catch the glimpse of hair or legs or clothes, etc. of your favorite girl ). That's how I see it these days.

For me this was the case with my original oshimen Ono Erena (graduated. ) , so it is the case with my favourite SKE48 girl: Shiorin (this fixed camera setup of the SKE48 LODs is actually useful to track your girl during the dance performances... especially in those KII shows it's really fun... going all over the place! ).

I have to admit it is a bit less obvious with my new chosen oshimen, NMB48's Kinoshita Haruna, because all the Team N members are just extremely awesome. It's all very close together, but I'm certain Haru is the right oshimen for me!


I'm also a bit against the use of the word "love", I prefer the word "adore", like in "my oshimen is extremely adorable, and cute, and entertaining." — it's more like a cute pet thingie for me (is that weird to say?). At least that view worked for Erena and works for Haru too. For Serina this might not work so much, similar like it wouldn't work on Akimoto Sayaka (just as an extreme example), they are idols that endorse different characteristics (like 'sexy', or 'cool', or 'inspiring', or other things like that)

[Nessy]

Just to clear up the confusion, since everyone's taking issue with the phrase "like I'm in love"--I'm a straight girl, so I meant that metaphorically. (Like being in love, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why she even seems like she's important to me she just is, or like being in love I want to watch over her, etc, etc, etc--I don't literally feel like I'm in love with Serina, I actually don't have a precise word for how I feel about her [besides "fascinated" or something.])

But thanks for the answers, guys! I think I understand what's going on, now. (And how to use this term properly, since I have never used it before!)

& dev-null-- I do do exactly that watching thing with her!

[pastil]

I have to admit it is a bit less obvious with my new chosen oshimen, NMB48's Kinoshita Haruna, because all the Team N members are just extremely awesome. It's all very close together, but I'm certain Haru is the right oshimen for me!

This is pretty much how it's for me - Jurina is my oshimen, but to me team S is perfect awesome and I like everyone in SKE48 so instead of searching for her all the time I also pay attention to other members. I used to be more "attached" to one member only when I was into Berryz Koubou for example.

[Vodka]

^ Gotta agree with you on that one. SKE is a group that seems so in sync with one another...that I can easily enjoy the entire group and my oshimen at the same time.
It's like....I can have my cake AND eat it too!

What a concept! This seldom happens for me. LOL!

[marikosuki]

I guess my understanding of what an oshimen is, has to do with giving someone your full support. I mentioned previously that my biggest crush is on Mariko-sama, but I can't call her my oshimen. Even if you want to include love or admiration or etc etc as giving someone your full support, it works. Full support being intentionally vague as to allow anyone's personal definition.

The easiest way for me to think of giving someone my full support is by choosing a member in the senbatsu elections. There are dozens of girls in the AKB48 and sister unit family I really like, maybe a dozen I love, and a half dozen that are on a pedestal, but that one person for me is still tough to pin down.

If there were a gun to my head, it would be Oshima Yuko (still reluctant to admit this). Overall I think she's the most talented and funny; she's the one who really brought my attention to AKB48. Hands down my favorite moment of everything I've seen from AKB involves her. I knew about AKB48 but didn't know much in general. I was actually in Tokyo at the time of the 2nd senbatsu elections not understanding what was going on, especially when Maeda Atsuko was crying. I somehow came across later in the year Ariyoshi AKB Kyowakoku during their recap of the 2nd Janken tournament. Yuko's backstage sexy janken from both janken tournaments had me in stitches. I guess a sense of humor is my number one most wanted trait.

[☆れいな☆]

Originally my oshimen was Nakanishi Rina, but she graduated.. since then, I've come to adore Oshima Yuko. I really like her, that her photobook was my first AKB purchase. I think she is my ***48 oshimen. She draws my eye the quickest, and makes me laugh the hardest. Akimoto Sayaka and Itano Tomomi are close behind but I'm not sure they'll catch up to her. Regardless, Team K is my favourite out of the teams.

[°Cal.Mer.Sac]

does it still count as an oshimen if shes a soloist who has no affiliation with any group? or does it only count when the person is part of a group of idols. anyways i dont know why i felt like i needed a akb oshi. maimi is the only idol i truly support so she is my one true oshimen!!!

[Snapple]

^ You're in the AKB thread. :/ < So you do need a ...48 oshi for here.

And no, oshi's is for idols, so H!P oshi, AKB oshi. Kumi Koda can't be an oshimen because like, who is she competing against? No one, she's my favourite singer, sure, but she's not an oshi.

[Blu-Cherri]

^^Oshimen where men comes from memba(menba) or member, that on its own implies from a group. Kamioshi seems to work in the soloist case if they're your one above all others but I don't see a need for addressing a soloist as something special apart from using kamioshi.

[°Cal.Mer.Sac]

@ Snapple

i think ill just stick with DD. a few girls stand out but none of them really have my support.

@Blu-Cherri

so could i call maimi my kamioshi even though she part of a group?

[dev-null]

I came to the conclusion for myself that a graduated member can't be an oshimen anymore. Just analyze what the word oshimen stands for: a "mem(ber)" you "push" (make her more popular compared to the other members by your voting/ buying/ marketing/ etc. power you have as fan).

You still can be a huge fan of your graduated member (I guess that won't change ever, especially if you reminiscence with old material, like old singles or old TV show recordings, etc.) and also support her in her further career (assuming she stays active in the entertainment industry). But she definitely won't be a member anymore you're able to push, so the term "oshimen" is not suitable anymore.

[Snapple]

@ Snapple

i think ill just stick with DD. a few girls stand out but none of them really have my support.

@Blu-Cherri

so could i call maimi my kamioshi even though she part of a group?

Yes.

[Krusha]

Kamioshi is basically a term introduced both to show how much you like your oshimen but also in the context of say, you have an AKB oshi, an SKE oshi and an NMB oshi -- those are three. But who is the member you like and support the most of these three then? Well: "my kamioshi is.."

[BlackTsubaki]

Should be a hand book writen on this stuff lol, *Introduction into Idol Groups* or something like that.

[°Cal.Mer.Sac]

damn it all!!! my 48 oshi is JURINA! ill leave it at that!!! i wont return now that ive decided in my heart!

[Noriega]

Since AKB coined oshimen and etc, and other idol groups (well, fans of other idol groups. Both Western and Japanese) , my assumption that kamioshi isn't limited to the AKB Family anymore.
To me, at least, kamioshi is your "oshimen of the entire idol world"

[Kecham]

Shinoda Mariko is my ***48 oshi, the reason why is because our life story is similar, we both failed once because of the same reason, but she was given the second chance and it wasn't really on a silver platter she still had to work hard for it and that's what impressed me the most so I want her to continue doing what she likes as long as she wants.

[kantutanTayo14]

I do not buy into the whole "only 1 single oshi" concept

Imagine partonizing a B & J's palour & only ordering 1 flavor every visit instead of variety;
I'd be bored ****less

(though I ain't exactly DD or MD either, rather I have a select group of favs)

[goratnik]

It is not about "love one and ignore others", but rather saying who is the most important when it comes not just to glaring at gravure or posting "oh!ah!" in threads, but for example to voting in election or teaching others who is most interesting, awesome and so on.

When it comes to me, you could have sometimes difficulties determining my oshi, so unclear it may appear sometimes, as I'm not always fully devoted to her (av, sig, threads most posted at...). But elections are soon...