[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

Interview from DAM Channel with Yukirin, Miion, Erii and Yukinee talking about unusual aspects and special skills of the members:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Do you think, they are going to update profile pictures this year?

 

AKB48 just surpassed 700k monthly listeners on Spotify, omedetou


As expected that AKB48's popularity on Spotify is carried by Indonesian/JKT48 fans

Seventeen is among top songs because this song is popular among JKT48 fans but since JKT48 version hasn't been released yet, they have to listen to AKB48/original version, at least until JKT48 version is finally released. Even Seventeen has been played more than Doushitemo Kimi Ga Suki Da, AKB48's latest single


Also, 3 Indonesian cities are among top 5 cities with most Spotify users listening to AKB48

Sorry I had to magnify this pic because original pic was too small

 

Yes, in the beginning of this video here (clip from May 16 Showroom) Rinrin mentions that she recently got her pic taken for Profile Picture!

if the video does not show watch the video here
But she feels like it takes quite a long time from taking the photo to see it hanging on theater, since they gotta print, put it in frame, etc.
Maybe in Autumn we'll see it, she says.
She also wonders how would the photos be organized, since Teams are dissolved.
Maybe Alphabetically, or based on generations? Then the first gen Team8 girls will be 15.5th gen

 

I hope so! They tend to do it fairly randomly though, it's not like they get updated at the same time every year so hard to predict maybe they'll wait until after the teams are dissolved?

 

By their new units which will be revealed in the shuffle.

 

There also used to be the running joke that SKE48 had crappy food compared to the other groups

 

https://twitter.com/Berin_official/status/1659212388921659395

 

On 05-19, Oricon issued a long and interesting article:
https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2279434/full/

Deepl:
The pride and spirit of the new AKB48 in 'I really love you', the first step towards V-shaped recovery.

AKB48's 61st single 'I really love you' was released on 26 April. It recorded 327,000 copies in its first week of sales, surpassing the first-week sales of 'Long Time No Lip Gloss' released last year in October 2022, and reached No. 1 in the singles ranking on 8 May. This is their 48th consecutive No.1 album and 48th in total. Her first No. 1 hit was "RIVER" (2 Nov 2009), some 14 years ago. How much pressure must it be to keep extending this record for so long in this fast-changing pop scene? Over the past few months, a series of documentary videos on AKB48's official YouTube channel have shown the group struggling under such pressure, but also earnestly searching for a new AKB48.

■ AKB48, the idol group that will never break up What is on the minds of the members today?
In the past, the lifespan of idols was short. Female idols in particular were short-lived. However, in the 2000s, idol groups such as Morning Musume。 and AKB48, idol groups that repeatedly changed members, kept their new structure and never disbanded. AKB48's No. 1 single record, mentioned above, is a sign that fans have accepted this style and that the idol scene has become firmly rooted in the music scene.

Joining a group that is recognised by many and has a strong fandom has an advantage in the sense that it attracts a great deal of attention at once, but it also places a burden on the group in that it is constantly compared to the past and demands a high standard of performance. Choosing a stable route can lead to boredom, while being too adventurous can lead to backlash. How can you keep your fans stimulated by showing a new and improved image with every release? Easier said than done. But it is AKB48 that has continued to do so.

However, after Corona, AKB48 missed the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen for three years in a row, and CD sales have fallen to less than half of what they were in the past. Of course, they are still selling well, but what is on the minds of the current members? A recent video on the official AKB48 YouTube channel answered that question.

■Two exciting videos released on the official AKB48 YouTube channel in February this year.
On 26 February this year, a teaser called #AKB48_0227 was uploaded. At the beginning of the teaser, we were amused by the harshness of the SNS comments on the screen. 'I used to sing at AKB48 karaoke', 'Times have changed', 'Nostalgia'... the comments went on to say that AKB48 was an idol of the past, so much so that one wonders if the video is really official. The next moment, the camera begins to follow one bicycle as it glides by. The "someone", whose face could not be seen clearly because of the hood, left Akihabara, ran through the Shibuya intersection and reached Harajuku, with Tokyo Dome and Tokyo Tower by its side. The video ends when the bicycle enters Takeshita-dori.

In another video, #AKB48_022721_61st Single 0426 Release, released the following day, Lucien Grange, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, commented that he welcomed the label transfer and informed fans that the previous day's teaser was about the long-time Fans were informed that the move was from record company King Records to Universal Music/EMI Records. Also that the person who was sliding the bicycle was member Hitomi Honda.

In these two rather stimulating videos, we could sense the extraordinary drive and determination to reach even greater heights on the occasion of the move. How are the fans really taking it? What feelings do they have towards AKB48, which self-mockingly refers to itself as the 'idols of the Heisei era'? Reading the comments section, while calmly accepting the situation, it was strangely impressive to see that the majority of comments were encouraging the group's new departure, saying: 'I'm excited about what's going to happen from now on. The group is supported by fans who "love the struggling AKB48".

A few weeks later, "[AKB48] 61st single 'I really like you' selection announcement documentary" was released. The members were gathered together without being informed of the contents of the announcement and were suddenly told that they would be transferred. Without a pause, the announcement of the 16 selected members for the 61st single, the first to be transferred, begins. When the names are called out, the members line up in front of the stage one by one with a mysterious look on their faces. The girls, who were tasked with "breathing new life" into the group while preserving tradition, were in the middle of a long tunnel at the Corona Disaster. I am sure I was not the only one who felt the weight of the responsibility of having to show the new AKB48, with no singles to be released with the transfer. Why not burst out in joy?　When the selected members said that they wanted to protect AKB48 and present the new AKB48 to the outside world, their expressions hardened. I thought I saw the depth of their anguish... but then, less than ten days later, the music video (MV) was released and I realised that this was a groundless fear.

■A frame of nostalgia-inducing youth 'I really love you' The seriousness of the members as conveyed through the video.
The song 'Jutte kimi ga suki da' (I really love you) is a fresh and lively song with a fast-paced feel. The lyrics were written by Yasushi Akimoto, as in the past, and the music was composed by the music unit 'Nazca', and the unique AKB48 worldview is a never-ending scene of adolescence between 'me' and 'you'. The song depicts a scene from youth, which is not the same experience, but which has a sense of déjà vu, and this is what makes the song so nostalgic. That "nostalgia" can be felt in this album. The centre role is played by Hitomi Honda for the second time since the title track of the 59th single 'Motokare desu'. Her presence in the drama and dance parts is impressive as she brings the group together. The three 17th term research students, Sato Kisei, Hirata Yuki and Yamazaki Sora, who have been with AKB48 for less than a year (and have a sense of the group's history), join the group to bring a fresh burst of power to the group.

The music video is set in a school. The 16 members in school uniforms link their experiences, special skills and images to their actual school days, and depict scenes from their school life spent in classrooms, the library and the broadcast room. The fresh expressions on their faces are dazzling, as if they have blown something out of the water. Fans responded favourably to the song, saying that they found themselves humming along, that it was typical of AKB, and that a new wind had blown. In addition to quickly surpassing the number of views of the previous film, the high number of comments shows the high level of excitement.

And what fans feel the members' seriousness more than anything else is probably the Practics video released on the day of the CD release, one month after the music video. The sharpness of the 'Inknot Dance' in the chorus and the formation dance of the 16 members, each member's spirit and spirit can be painfully conveyed from the video.

You don't have to be a fan to understand. Something has changed. Perhaps the members of AKB48 must be feeling the response. The finish of "I really love you" leaves such a strong impression. Now that we have entered the era of idol longevity, I am suddenly interested to see how they will carve out a path with the spirit of one of the groups leading the way. The group has popular songs that everyone knows, such as "Koisuru fortune cookie" and "Heavy rotation", and I would love to see the new AKB48 expand their repertoire. There should be plenty of potential for them to do so.

 

It's a good thing that Team B won the HADO-kai. They only have to distribute the screentime between six people. Even though 66,7% of it will be Yuiyui and Maho.

 

https://twitter.com/hado_idol/status/1659880126010753024

 

New AKB show by logirl that was announced in the last episode of 8 (Eito) ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru!.

https://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-12804114448.html


https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1660590381577416706


It's called Atsumare! Marumaru AKB. (集まれ！まるまるAKB。). Each episode joins members who belong to a certain genre.

For instance, the first episode (05/24) with Asai Nanami, Saito Haruna and Hashimoto Haruna brings together girls who were born in the month of May.

 

it WOULD be yuiyui and yukirin but maho screams until the camera finds her.

 

In the Majimuri Gakuen stage play RAI, who do you think played the masked hooded Hyakki extra dancers ? Was it actually the hanagumi members as they did not appear at the same time ? You can see they wore school shoes too.

 

How many songs does AKB have ? Has it reached the thousands yet ?

 

I don't know the number of songs, but considering that Request Hour 2015 ranked all 1035 songs that existed at the time, it's well over a thousand now.

If you mean AKB only rather than 48G, then I'm not sure, sorry.

 

Ignoring subunits and solo singles/albums, around 744 based on Studio48. Might be a few duplicates (or rather, remixes) in there.

 

AIUI from this article (using Google Translate) a well-known Indonesian actress called Nagita Slavina has kicked up a fuss because she found herself unable to take photos with AKB48 members while visting Japan:
https://depok.suara.com/read/2023/0...mamah-cipung-serang-akun-ig-idol-group-jepang

As a result there seems to be rather a lot of recent messages in Indonesian on the latest post in AKB48's Instagram which AFAICS are attacking her:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0CUJIP3VI/

Are any of our Indonesian members able to shed any more light on this please?

 

Oh no! This will affect AKB's K-Pop sales.

Shame on you, Nagi.

 

Does the events of Majimuri Gakuen RAI actually take place after LOUDNESS ? Why was there no Arechi in RAI ?