[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

Almost no one. I rip my CDs and listen almost exclusively to 48grp for years now. I love the music, the message, and the themes aki-p explores in his writing. especially the stage albums. i keep regular edition DVD for the extras. duplicates tho, get recycled. 48 has been kind enough to package the photos separate so that saves time from opening each jewelcase.

there are still cd manufacturing plants in the world, probably with the significant carbon footprint made by the plastics industry. I don't pretend 48GROUP is big enough to be responsible for this industry but they are contributing and their absence would probably be missed.

I'm personally tired of collecting checki and idol stuffs. I do keep supporting 48 with multiple monthly subscriptions. maybe this is the key?

akip and yuasa consider themselves musicians/ artists. (I consider them both to be talented) how are they to justify multiple downloads of the same song written for an isolated market? thing is, for me, akip and yuasa are influenced by my generation of music; 80s new wave, ska, british invasion, and big hair rock, also beloved by overworked middle-aged salarymen (these ojisans have jobs with money for idols. re-live the glory days, Bruce Springsteen and S2 stage) best thing about 48, for me, is the rocknroll with helium voices. I hope that never changes.

I get that the main attraction is the members but 48 is packaged as a music group (tho that recognition is lost among year end music shows) do we want to be fans of a group that only sells FaceTime with cute Japanese girls by the minute? even if the normies already judge us that way.

1 idea, if anyone reads all this, is to make the theater sustainable by double the ticket price (again) and focus on the live performance. and write a song for the next ghibli of video game movie release.

Idc as long as they keep performing in the theater. even if AKB48 goes away the songs will still be performed, they defined "idol" for a decade there are so many tribute groups of wannabe idols that will still perform ogoe diamond.

 

They may start selling "music card". A foreign sister group (SGO48?) did it. It was mere a hard photocard with QR code to download music.
I also have seen singer sold music stored in thumb drive instead of disc.
A Korean boy group started selling digital single. Via online shop, fans could opt to buy the single in digital form and lower price, buyers got a physical random photo card and digital files for the rest, song, album jacket etc.
Idol album waste has become an issue in Korea.

 

One of the reasons I like Korean physical releases is the high quality photobooks that pretty much are the focal part of the package and are a collectable premium item as part of the value proposition.

 

Yes, SGO48 did that, I bought their singles.
However, this group was disbanded and now how long the website to download single contents sgo48.vn will remain online is a big question as the trustability of the management company is very questionable.
I had to store the videos in OneDrive to backup in case the website goes down forever.

Anyway, moving away from CD is definitely better for environment, in case of new SSK (NMB48 is going to have one).
https://japantoday.com/category/ent...-bags-full-of-them-end-up-in-trash-days-later
https://aramajapan.com/news/akb48-fan-charged-illegally-dumping-585-cds/81566/

 

Yet, fancier package means bigger waste.
An incentive for fans to buy K-pop single/album is its quality. Still, there is a limit of how many copies of the same photobook a fan want.
Cheap package at a higher price is a key to the profitability of J-pop market. But, where the profit goes to? I remember it was revealed during the lawsuit of KARA vs. DSP that the 5 members of KARA combined got 3% cut from total physical sale, the distributor got first 80%, UMJ kept 12% of the remaining 20% and gave 8% to DSP, which subsequently kept 5% to itself. Over a decade has passed but I doubt much have changed since this is Japan we are talking about.

 

Me too, one of the reasons why I like AKB48 DVDs is because they usually look beautiful.
I feel that many AKB48 CD, DVDs are now practically little more than collectibles. I have a Ponytail to Shushu, but I rarely listen to the song itself from that CD as it is on YouTube. The single came to me with an intact handshake ticket inside, but I could never use it in its true purpose, because I got this single an entire decade late.
However, contents from many 48G concert DVDs aren't available online, so I had to buy them.

 

I've had some interesting clash on Twitter about 48G terminology and I want to ask You for Your opinion. I don't know were here discussions like this, but want to know Your opinion about this matter.

Whole Twitter discusion is under spoiler:

Spoiler

It has started from Twitter user kisaa(@sakuneck) tweet:

I've replied my opinion based on my own knowledge gained from TV Shows, newses about 48G etc:

Then have been asked by kisaa (he/she used meme video) from where I do own knowledge and I replied:

kisaa:

Me:

kisaa:

Me:

What I do want ask You about? In opinion of Stage48 society what's real definition of Ace and Future Ace? Can we name "Ace" everyone who we want to name or it's better to keep it for members, who as I told, are leading group in performances, activities and already centered single's A-side?

 

@Erbeon , short answer: the ace discussion is stupid, pointless and nothing more than a volatile gimmick.

P.S.: Why on Earth is Shitao an ace?

 

To be honest I just want to know point of view of Stage48 society in this case. Personally I feel that "Ace" has been used too many times by fans, media, TV MCs etc. when they've talked about AKB.

Since Produce48 time some people try to make her "Ace". Under each YT video where she has attended there's bunch of comments in English about her.

 

Firstly, there can be only One Ace. Secondly, Ace and Center are not the same term, but posibly it could be the same person. Acchan and Sayanee for example. Shiraishi was being Ace but not the center., also Sakura. Basically, it's a clash of opinions who is who. Everything else is purely subjective opinion. The concept of the future Ace is just fortune-telling. Today AKB doesn't have nor Ace nor Center in my opinion. Because the only thing that keeps the band going (up?) is the Brand.

 

Yeah... That doesn't make her an ace, just well known in Southeast Asia and California — How come every American on Stage48 is from California? — because of a K-Pop show. Koreans write in Korean. She has never been the center of any song and she's (still) far from being one of the top sellers despite all of her SNS followers and being an online meeting that can be done from home.

 

Since i have the time, although its not like my thoughts are in any way significant, lol.

Popular members like Shinoda, Kojima, Itano, if I'm not mistaken, were never referred to as aces. So I don't think the likes of Muto Tomu, Yuihan, etc are anywhere near 'acehood'.

WMatsui were considered the aces of SKE at some point, right, even though Rena never got a solo center before her grad single?

I agree though at almost everyone who were considered aces got to center a single and at one point, became the face of the group.

 

I think KPOP album's are a great collectors item, and have been for ages. They're something fans rarely throw out, but it started to become a problem when Kpop groups, after visiting Japan for single promotions, found that including handshake/event tickets in their albums will increase sales. I remember first seeing SM albums including fan tickets and around that same time album sales for their biggest groups were increasing 50-100k. Soon after, the others started doing it, and now we're at this point. They try to do both (pretty collectors packaging and fan events), whereas JPOP groups do either or; like you said, a cheaply made CD with fan events included or a pretty DVD with no idol meeting incentives but a great collectors item. I believe that's also why JPOP albums or DVD packages do more poorly in sales.

@Erbeon , As for the Ace topic, It's as simple as Ace =/= Center and Popular Members =/= Ace. An idol can be popular for years and may be rewarded with a center position, but they might not be the popular member that everyone is talking about. @STS 's example of Nogi's Maiyan is a perfect example of an Ace, whereas girls like Asuka, Nanase, and more recently Sakura and Mizuki would be considered as popular center girls.

The chances of an Ace being a center is almost guaranteed. Acchan, Jurina, Sayanee, Sakura. We know who they are lol but they are the girls who you would consider a center, so if the idol is someone not on their level then no, they're not an Ace. That's not to say they're not popular, they definitely can be. Mariko, Takamina and Tomochin are popular kami 7 level girls who aren't considered aces, so the likes of Mion, Tomu, and Yuiri aren't aces.

A term that I remember being used a lot way back then but isn't so much now is 'Face'. Fans here would refer to members who were certainly popular like Mariko, Takamina, Tomichin, Kojiharu and Yukirin, as 'faces' of the group, because they were easily recognisable as AKB members to the general public, and while they all eventually centered a single they weren't considered an Ace like Acchan, Yuko or Mayu were.

As for those four girls (Yuiyui, Hiichan, Miu, and Zukky) I would say none of them are Aces right now, but they all have potential to be. If anything this should be the year that one of them breaks out into the general publics eye. If you absolutely had to pick an Ace right now, it would be Naachan as she's the first person people people would most likely think of when hearing AKB48 who stands in the center and is respected in the industry and by idol fans, but even then it's a stretch as she doesn't have the same reach as say Acchan or Maiyan.

TLDR watch AKB0048 lol

 

I don't know how to really define what an Ace is, but I basically agreed with your point. For me, it's just like the face of the group and the one being pushed my management, but can also be somewhat subjective.

Below is my opinion (which is subjective):
- Some members that have been an ace at one point: Acchan, Mayuyu, Jurina, Sayanee, Sakura, Mirurun, Yumirin (perhaps Paruru arguably, and right now Yuiyui too)
- Some popular members that have never been considered an ace: Takamina, Mariko, Kojiharu, Yukirin, Matsui Rena, Mirukii (and I don't see Yuko and Sasshi as aces)

 

if the video does not show watch the video here
Sooo, has Cherprang entered yet?

 

I believe the concept of "ace" is taken from sport world and I kinda follow sport, women's volleyball to be exact. For volleyball, the ace is that one person who produces 30%+ of the team's total score by herself and 10+ points more than second best scorer. She is not just the best scorer of the team and overwhelms everyone. I have seen no one of that level in AKB48, that one sole predominant member. But, Jurina and Sayaka can be counted as the ace for SKE48 and NMB48 respectively.

I only know that K-pop sale nowadays has been inflated with "fansign". The fansign works in a different system and there is no fansign ticket enclosed with the CD.
I've never seen the info about K-pop idol enclosing "fan ticket" unless it's Japanese promotion and, K-pop groups did not have serious promotion in Japan until Tohoshinki hit big in Japan. Fansign already existed by then.
Mind sharing your info on this?

Contrary, Cherprang said she would not participate despite Naachan.
And, it doesn't matter who writes the "Japanese" lyric as it will then be translated by the same old Aeh.
Lol at Choreographer Yuiri. She is not even that good as a dancer.

A rumor was that iAm gave members much smaller portion of the income from GE2 giving the excuse of underwhelming business turnover due to COVID thus, members were disappointed and unmotivated.

 

if the video does not show watch the video here
Dobon 1st Anniversary Live Concert, recording time. Chance no Junban and Hotei Sokudo to Yuuetsukan.
Pyon
Edit : sorry for double posting with the Dobon thread, just found it after posting this. feel free to delete if needed

if the video does not show watch the video here

 

And ?
As long as the author's lyrics are conveyed, as long as the translation is accurate, is it a problem ?

The most experienced performer among all current and former 48 groups members.
Yuiri has dozen of concerts / TV shows and countless of theater appearences under her belt, more than 4 years of team captaincy (= coaching). So a more than long enough CV to try her hands on choregraphy.
And she has a precious advising ressource around herself with 48 groups dance instructor staff.
Everyone started something from scratch at some time.

 

If you once read a pantip thread (Thailand's forum) you can get the reason. Thai (and also Vietnamese) are tonal, not like Japanese and Chinese. As you can see AKB48 lyrics in Mandarin sounds harmonizer and easier to sing than in Thai. More than one BNK48 members said about how fast and hard the lyrics were to sing along, and hard to sing along is certainly not good for a song to become popular. And @innosu is right, the song sounds weird, funny and ridiculous.
Secondly is the culture, we all know that the lyrics when translated has to keep the original meaning but from my knowledge, lots of 48grp lyrics not very suitable for China, Vietnam and Thailand's culture. So something the lyrics seem really meaning less and recondite.
For example, in Vietnam where I live, which I believe things also happen like in Thailand, SGO48 was always seen as the group with childish song (harmonize) and ridiculous lyrics. I remember I couldn't even hear all the lyrics of Namida Surprise at first so how can I understand it?
I understand why BNK48 wota want a Thai lyricist more than an AKB48 member who don't know both their language and culture.