Release Date: August 13, 2025
- Oh my pumpkin!
- Ishi no Taiboku
- Idol da yo, Jinsei wa (アイドルだよ、人生は…)
- Smartphone, MIteru Baai Janai (スマホ、見てる場合じゃない)
- Oh my pumpkin! (AKB48 Members Ver.)
Review
My experience with AKB48 runs deep—I planned many past trips to Japan around their events. As my favorite members graduated, my enthusiasm faded, since newer generations lacked the same draw. Today, I follow their new releases out of curiosity, but don’t go out of my way to write about them like I did in the past.
That is, until I read about what was going on with AKB48’s 66th single Oh my pumpkin! This is the first single to feature members of BNK48, MNL48, AKB48 Team SH, AKB48 Team TP, CGM48, and KLP48 in the senbatsu, with most of the overseas members being prominent members of their respective groups.
It is also the second time the reserves from the graduated pool have been called up for active duty. Yup. AKB48 pulled Kojima Haruna, Sashihara Rino, Takashi Minami, and Maeda Atsuko back into action. The last time this recruitment occurred was with Kimi wa Melody; the graduated members felt more like secondary players, as the roster of the various 48 groups was still stacked at the time.
With this song, I’m not so sure. On one hand, it may reflect Hello!Project-style desperation: bringing back past stars because the current lineup lacks wide appeal. On the other hand, this could be a strategic effort to evoke nostalgia, aiming to re-engage old heads like me rather than relying solely on the current generation.
Their returns are open to interpretation, and how you see their inclusion will be subjective.
So the a-side is what one would expect of an AKB48 song. It’s catchy enough to get stuck in your head. It’s nothing musically ground-breaking or experimental, and it’s as inoffensive as it comes when it comes to this type of idol music.
It’s odd there’s no official music video on the AKB48 YouTube channel. Video usually highlights the involvement of graduated members, but only performance clips from music shows uploaded by others are available. Since AKB48’s singing style is mainly group-based, it’s hard to hear the graduated members’ contributions in an audio-only format. Things like the returns of graduated members used to be a big deal. I guess not so much anymore?
When it comes to the B-sides, they also don’t stray too far from the AKB48 musical template. Of the three available on the various versions of this single, I liked the Undergirls song Ishi no Taiboku. I have a soft spot for the rock-tinged 48 songs, and this hit right for me.
Even though I’m just “whelmed” at this single overall, I do appreciate that all these songs were fully fleshed out productions. After listening to so many sub-two-minute songs from the Korean side of pop, it’s nice to hear a full set of songs that have more time to let you take them in.
Stream on Spotify
Stream on Apple Music
