"Beginner" is

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...

's 18th single, released on October 27, 2010.

Release Information

Much like AKB48's previous singles such as "

Heavy Rotation In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time. However, they are not completely sh ...

", "Beginner" was released in three different versions with five cover variations, with the theater version being exclusively sold in the AKB48 theater in

Akihabara is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. Each version contained a different set list aside from the title track and "Boku Dake no Value". The third track on type A, "Kimi ni Tsuite" performed by Mint, was selected via a fan vote held on Ameba Pigg. In addition, the DVDs attached to all versions except for the theater version each contains three out of the possible six different music videos made for the single: Type A contained formations led by Yuko Oshima, Mariko Shinoda, and the duo of Mayu Watanabe and Jurina Matsui (

SKE48 SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a ...

), while type B featured formations led by Atsuko Maeda, Tomomi Itano, and Minami Takahashi. The original music video, directed by

Tetsuya Nakashima Tetsuya Nakashima (中島哲也) (born 1959) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was born in Fukuoka, attending high school in Chikushino. His 2010 film '' Confessions'' was awarded Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards, wher ...

, was found to be too violent to be included with the actual single; and that version was later decided to be released exclusively as a digital download from the day of the single's release. All non-theater versions of "Beginner" also contain a ballot code that can be used to vote for one's favorite AKB48/

SDN48 SDN48 (read "S.D.N. Forty-eight", short for Saturday Night 48) was a Japanese idol girl group, created and produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SDN48 was created based on an "adult idol" concept. Former AKB48 member Kayo Noro was chosen as the captain of ...

song from all previous singles and theater shows, and the top 100 of that list will become the set list of the four-day marathon concert, AKB48 Request Hour Best 100 2011, which was later held in

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

-AX from January 20 to 23, 2011. In addition, all first press limited editions of "Beginner" contain a national handshaking event ticket, and can be used during the later handshaking tour to meet AKB48 members up close and in person. The theater version, on the other hand, contains a ticket to a special handshaking event commemorating the release of the theater version, as well as one photo card of a random member of AKB48. "Beginner" managed to have 1.03 million copies shipped to retailers before its release, and sold 568,095 copies on its first day. By the end of its first week of release, "Beginner" has sold 826,989 copies and reach top spot on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

weekly singles chart. This meant that Beginner became AKB48's 5th consecutive number 1 single, and has surpassed

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

's 1998 single, "All My True Love", as the best selling

single in its opening week on the Oricon. The sale figures also placed "Beginner" as the third best selling single in its debut week by a female artist of all time on the Oricon, behind

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

's " Addicted to You", and

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

's "

Can You Celebrate? "Can You Celebrate?" is Namie Amuro's seventh solo single under the Avex Trax label. Released on February 19, 1997, "Can You Celebrate" is the best-selling single by a solo female artist in Japanese music history, with sales of 2,296,200 copies. ...

", which sold 1.06 million and 828,000 copies in their opening week respectively. By selling almost 1 million copies by the end of the year, "Beginner" was the best-selling single of 2010 in Japan.

Track listing

Contributing members

Beginner

(Bold indicates front members who appears on regular and limited covers of the single) Center: Atsuko Maeda *Team A:

Haruna Kojima is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. From 2005 to 2017, she was a member of idol group AKB48 under Team A. Career Kojima was born in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, and started her career as a member of Angel Eyes, an idol ...

Rino Sashihara is a Japanese tarento, singer, producer and actress. She is best known as a former member of idol groups HKT48, AKB48 and STU48, and was the theater manager for HKT48 and STU48. She was also a member of AKB48's unit Not Yet (band), Not Yet and i ...

Mariko Shinoda is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion model, and former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, in which she was the captain of Team A. Career In October 2005, she auditioned for AKB48's first generation roster but failed the audition. Short ...

Aki Takajō is a Japanese tarento who is a former member of the idol groups AKB48 and JKT48. She auditioned for AKB48's sixth generation and was promoted to member of Team A. Her talent agency is Is.Field (she was previously affiliated with Watanabe Produ ...

Minami Takahashi is a Japanese idol, singer, tarento and a former member of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. She is in Team A of AKB48. She became the first of AKB48 and its sister groups. In an interview with Nippon Television in June 2010, AKB48 produc ...

Atsuko Maeda is a Japanese actress and singer. She is a former member of the idol girl group AKB48, and was one of the most prominent members in the group at the time, regarded as the group's "absolute ace", "immovable center", and the "Face of AKB." After ...

*Team K:

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

Yuko Oshima is a Japanese actress and former member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48, of which she was the captain of Team K. She was also a member of the AKB48 subunit Not Yet. In addition to the singles that involved the rock-paper-scissors tournaments ...

Minami Minegishi is a Japanese singer and actress, represented by Production Ogi. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, and its subunit no3b. She is noted for having the longest tenure among the group's original members from 2005 to 2021. Ca ...

Sae Miyazawa is a Japanese actress, television personality and former singer, signed under the entertainment agency Horipro. She is best known for her affiliations with AKB48 and its various sister- and subgroups. Between 2006 and 2016, she was a part of th ...

*Team B:

Tomomi Kasai is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the idol group AKB48, belonging to Team A. She had a recurring role on ''Kamen Rider W'' as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano. Together, they make up the sub-unit Queen & Elizab ...

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

Rie Kitahara is a Japanese singer and actress formerly associated with the Japanese idol girl group NGT48 and former member of AKB48 and SKE48. She debuted in 2008 in Team A and was later co-captain of Team K (2014). In March 2015, it was announced Kitahara wo ...

Mayu Watanabe is a Japanese former idol, singer, actress, and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 under Team B. In the annual AKB48 General Elections event, she had consistently been voted by fans to rank among the group's top members. She has ...

team S:

Jurina Matsui is a Japanese TV personality, singer, actress, and YouTuber. She is a former member of Japanese idol girl group SKE48 and former concurrent member of AKB48 (in 2012–2015). She is recognized as SKE48's absolute "ace", having placed in the top ...

Rena Matsui is a Japanese actress, singer, and novelist. Matsui is a former member of the Japanese idol girl groups SKE48 and Nogizaka46. As a member of the former, she also participated in the main lineup of AKB48's singles. As an actress, she has played r ...

All senbatsu members who appear in this single have appeared in the last single,

. Notable omissions from the last single include

Erena Ono , is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was in "Team K" and her talent agency was Ohta Production. She was also part of AKB48 subgroups "Honegumi from AKB48", "AKBIdoling !! " and "ICE from AKB48". Career Ono was born ...

, who has graduated from AKB48 in September and

Sayaka Akimoto is a Filipino-Japanese actress and singer. She was a member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and its spin-off unit Diva. As an actress, Akimoto has appeared in both Japanese and American productions, and made her Hollywood debut in '' Sniper: ...

, captain of Team K. Other senbatsu members from Heavy Rotation who did not make it are

Amina Satō is a Japanese voice actress and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. In AKB48, she was originally a fourth generation trainee, then in Team A, in Team B, and finally in Team K. Amina Sato was also a member of a pop group named N ...

, Haruka Nakagawa, and Miho Miyazaki, who placed 18th, 20th, and 21st respectively at the general election.

Boku Dake no Value

;Credited as Undergirls *Team A:

Misaki Iwasa is a Japanese idol. She is a former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48 and enka singer. Her nickname is Wasamin. Her talent agency is Nagara Productions. She was also a member of the sub-unit Watarirouka Hashiritai 7. Career 2008 * Decem ...

Aika Ōta , is a former member of the Japanese idol group HKT48, the captain of its Team KIV. She has also been a member of AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) a ...

Haruka Katayama , is a Japanese actress and ''tarento'' who is a former member of the idol group AKB48's team A produced by Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's ...

Haruka Nakagawa , is a Japanese media personality based in Indonesia. She is a former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48 and its sub-unit Watarirouka Hashiritai, as well as its Indonesian sister group JKT48, all produced by Yasushi Akimoto. Career At t ...

Ami Maeda AMI or Ami may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media *AMI-tv, a Canadian TV channel **AMI-télé, the French-language version *AMI-audio, a Canadian audio broadcast TV service *''Ami Magazine'', an Orthodox Jewish news magazine Businesses ...

*Team K: Ayaka Kikuchi, Moeno Nitō,

Reina Fujie , is a Japanese idol who is a former member NMB48's Team BII and former member of AKB48. She is a cousin of Berryz Kobo was a Japanese girl group formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2004 and associated with Hello! Project. The group's members cons ...

Sakiko Matsui is a Japanese singer and pianist. She was a member of AKB48. Concurrently as a student specializing in piano at Tokyo College of Music, she has released a piano instrumental album ''Kokyū Suru Piano'' on October 3, 2012, which reached number 1 ...

Rumi Yonezawa Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلال‌الدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...

*Team B:

Haruka Ishida is a Japanese actress, voice actress and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She has been a co-host on the variety show ''Dream Creator'' on TV Tokyo. and has voiced on a handful of anime shows, including ''Nobunaga the Fool'' ...

Manami Oku is a Japanese singer. She is a former member of the Japanese girl band AKB48. She debuted in AKB48 in February 2006 as a member of the "Team K". Oku's mother is Japanese and her father is Italian. she was later transferred to Team B She gradua ...

Mika Komori Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footbal ...

, Sumire Satō,

Natsumi Hirajima is a Japanese ''tarento'' and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born from Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and la ...

, Miho Miyazaki *SKE48 team S:

Yuria Kizaki is a Japanese actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, where she was the captain of Team B. Biography On November 13, 2009, Kizaki passed SKE48's third-generation auditions. On June 23, 2010, she got promoted to an o ...

, Kumi Yagami *SKE48 team KII: Anna Ishida,

Akane Takayanagi is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48. She joined SKE48 as a second-generation trainee in March 2009, before being promoted to Team KII. She was a member of SKE48 Team KII, and a former member of NMB48 Team BII. AKB48 genera ...

, Manatsu Mukaida

Kimi ni Tsuite

;Credited as Mint *Team A: Haruka Katayama, Atsuko Maeda *Team K: Moeno Nitō, Sakiko Matsui *Team B: Tomomi Kasai

Nakeru Basho

;Credited as Diva (Bold indicates front members) *Team A:

Shizuka Ōya is a Japanese idol and talent who is a former member of AKB48's Team B. Ōya is represented with Watanabe Entertainment is a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate and a member of the Watanabe Production Group. Its head office is in Shibuy ...

Asuka Kuramochi is a singer, actress, and a former member of the idol group AKB48 under Team K. Career 2007 * On May 27, she passed AKB48 first trainee audition (AKB48 第一回研究生（4期生）オーディション). 2008 * On March 4, it was a ...

Chisato Nakata is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Chisato can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *千里, "great distance" *知里, "knowledge, hometown" *智里, "wisdom, hometown" *千聖, "thousand, holy" *千郷, "th ...

Sayaka Nakaya is a Japanese voice actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is from Iwate. While with AKB48 she was a member of the subunit No Name. Her biggest role as a voice actress was as the title character Chitose Sakuraba in ...

Natsumi Matsubara The Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has many members who have left the group for various reasons such as focusing on solo careers. Some members have left to help launch AKB48's sister groups. The member lineup often changes as when girls get olde ...

, *Team K:

Mayumi Uchida The Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has many members who have left the group for various reasons such as focusing on solo careers. Some members have left to help launch AKB48's sister groups. The member lineup often changes as when girls get olde ...

Ayaka Umeda is a former Japanese idol and singer from the girl group NMB48, in which she is the co-captain of Team BII. She was also a member of the AKB48 and its subunit DiVA. Biography 2004–2007: Early career, debut, injury In 2004–2005, Umeda to ...

Miku Tanabe is a Japanese idol who is a former member of AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's produce ...

, Tomomi Nakatsuka, Misato Nonaka *Team B:

Kana Kobayashi is a Japanese idol who is a former member of AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer ...

Natsuki Sato The Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has many members who have left the group for various reasons such as focusing on solo careers. Some members have left to help launch AKB48's sister groups. The member lineup often changes as when girls get olde ...

Mariya Suzuki is a Japanese idol, singer and actress. She joined the girl group AKB48 in 2009 where she participated in a number of their singles, and was one of two Japanese members to transfer and to become founding members of the Chinese idol sister group ...

Rina Chikano The Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has many members who have left the group for various reasons such as focusing on solo careers. Some members have left to help launch AKB48's sister groups. The member lineup often changes as when girls get old ...

, Yuka Masuda *SKE48 team S: Masana Ōya

Charts and certifications

Charts

Sales and certifications

References

{{authority control 2010 singles AKB48 songs Songs with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto Oricon Weekly number-one singles Billboard Japan Hot 100 number-one singles King Records (Japan) singles 2010 songs