Oba Mina reveals her private and personal experiences concerning many of AKB48’s taboo topics: her debut scandal, the love ban rule, and behind-the-scenes at handshake events.

This comes courtesy of a TV show called “Jikkuri Kiitarou”, in a segment called, “Now, I can talk about this.” Oba Mina appears and goes into detail about her bumpy debut, the forbidden nature of love, handshakes events, and even a bit about plastic surgery.

What follows is a direct translation of what’s being said on each screen.

The truth about the rumored love-ban rule.

Right after passing the audition, we were told that we were going to have a one-on-one meeting before heading home.

During the meeting, I was asked, “Do you have a boyfriend right now?”

For girls that did have boyfriends, they said, “You should break up with him.”

Girls with boyfriends were required to break up!

“Are you doing anything like Twitter or Facebook?”

“If you are, please check them all. Please delete them”

I didn’t have a boyfriend just at that exact moment…

At that exact moment in time, I didn’t have a boyfriend, and I told them I didn’t.

I was using so many social networks at the time, so I went on the internet, deleted them all, and then started the lessons.

It’s also not permitted to use the internet too freely.

There was something like that.

“Didn’t they every tell you, ‘Please don’t look at 2ch?’”

AKB48 started out as an underground idol unit, so there is a great deal about us on the internet.

I try not to get emotionally affected because they judge so many things.

If I look, I’ll get depressed.

“To avoid worrying, looking at message boards is forbidden.”

For me, I discovered the love ban before I entered AKB48.

When I passed the audition, they said to delete everything about me on the internet, when I was a “normal” person.

I was supposed to deleted everything, but I forgot to delete something…

There was a blog entry where it showed me having a boyfriend, and someone found it. That really tore up the internet!

“Was it you who wrote the blog entry?”

It said something like, “We’ve been together since this date.”

“Forgot to delete an SNS account.”

“And then… a photo-booth picture was publicized!”

That photo-booth picture wasn’t one of me and my boyfriend…

It was just me, as a high school girl, messing around, and that photo was publicized.

That picture was a part of myself that was very different from being an idol, so it hurt my image.

“FUCK!!”

“That’s pretty tough, isn’t it”

If that was the past of an idol, I guess it would really be bad for my image.

The source of that news leak was from 2-chan.

When a member notices, it’s like, “This is bad!”

You know, people usually ask if what’s written on the net is true.

When I think about my fans who support me having to ask me that, it really hurt me.

It made me not want to go outside the next day.

Then, I got in touch with the staff and told them, “I want to quit.”

I thought I’d be causing AKB48 a lot of trouble, and I figured that I wouldn’t be able to quit. But I still got in touch with them.

The told me, “You can’t quit. It’s half-assed.”

“Get advice from Akimoto-sensei.”

“If Akimoto-sensei says OK, then you can do whatever you want.”

“What is the handshake event system like?”

It’s all day from 9am to 9pm.

If there’s someone who has hundreds of tickets, you could end up talking with them for 45 minutes or so.

The people who opt for 45 minutes are usually people who are confident in the ability to talk for that long.

If someone can’t talk for that long, they’ll just get a single ticket.

I would really usually get the 45 minutes ones.

“Holding hands all that time?”

“What did you guys talk about?”

There are some people who have super sweaty hands and then just let go.

They talk about stuff like, “I work at such-and-such a place, and there’s this person…”

“I guess they really want someone to listen to them?”

“Do you talk about society?”

“The truth about handshake events.”

Oba: “What color glow-stick?”

Oba: “Tomorrow, what color are you going to wave around?”

Fan: “Light blue”

Oba: “Really?”

I say stuff like that.

Fan: “I already have a light blue one.”

Oba: “Really?”

Oba: “Okay, tomorrow then.”

Fan: “Yeah, tomorrow.”

Oba: “Take care.”

Fan: “Okay”

I really like to give out nicknames based on someone’s appearance.

“What kind of names do you give?”

One that’s really easy to remember is…

Whenever there’s someone who looks like Uchiyama-san, I think that they definitely like meat. So I’ll them, “Mr. Hamburger”.

Like, “Mr. Hamburger!!”

For someone like you, Nagura-san, just by your appearance…

You’re, “Horror Man!!”

“This is definitely plastic surgery.”

I didn’t have any! I didn’t do it!

I seriously didn’t do it!

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In summary, here seem to be the takeaway points:

• The love ban rule is apparently real.
• Pre-debut, all members are required to delete their online presence. This is not entirely surprising: I have even seen job postings have this requirement for girls who want to work at the official cafes.
• People really can talk to their favorite idols for 45 minutes.
• Prepare to be given a nickname if you’re “lucky?”
• Somehow, no plastic surgery!