Okada Nana (Naachan) / 14th Generation

Everyone knows that the love ban thing might not be written directly into the contract, it is something each of the girls acknowledges as an unwritten rule they should uphold, for the sake of the group, for the sake of their fans, and for the sake of their professionalism as a female idol. They have been talking about this countless times, on TV, in documentaries, and on interviews...
Yet, when the s hits the fan, they pretend that there is no such a thing and everything is just a misunderstanding.

I seriously don't understand what are they thinking.

 

I agree with @Mimikkyu and @souchan48 long comments on this thread. Unfortunately, AKB was built to accommodate this kind of fan and now we have to deal with it. Still, I don't believe Naachan to have done anything wrong, but the responses are being so messed up.

And why male idols don't need to follow this rule? Are they unprofessional? Why does it only counts as a rule for woman? Don't you understand that this is just pure sexism?

 

In life, there are things you have to accept whether you like it or not.

 

Idol before getting caught: "***-kun! Thank you so much for coming to my handshakes. Please, keep supporting me just because. I'm so cute, ain't I? I LOVE YOU!"

Idol after getting caught: "What the hell do you want you creepy fan? I have rights!"

 

AKB once had a married member: Tsukamoto Mariko. However she was just a gimmick.

None of these groups has as much member as any 48G. The largest, Denpagumi only has 10 members, akin to a large K-Pop group. Comparing any 48G with them is comparing melon with orange . Their business model works because with a small number of members, they can be sure that everyone is really talented so the group and individual members can keep attracting people and earn well by music, activities and talents alone. They were built for this business model from the start.
48Gs are behemoths. They simply can't work like Negicco because of their sheer size. Even if we don't take children and teenagers who live with parents and girls who are here just for fun into account, there are still a few dozens mouths to feed, most of them only have average singing talent. You simply have no way to have that many true talents.
Telling fans to change their taste to match the group is meh. The group is a service provider who earn by fulfilling customer demands.
While General Elections aren't held anymore, wota behaviors clearly didn't end with it, and I'm sure that groups and many members don't want them to end. Back in summer 2021, Chiba Erii was caught dating a minor celebrity named Raiki. One of the important proof was the appearance of her Gucci bag, an gift from a Korean fan.
That shows that hardcore fans still give non-top idols expensive gifts and idols do love to receive them. It may be the easiest way idols can get them.
Even in SGO48, a group which never held a SSK, there were efforts by group management to induce hardcore spending behaviors.
In 2020, they tried to introduce a very predatory membership plan. One need to pay around 1400USD/month (in a country where minium wage is around 150usd/month) to have 1-1 lunch with a member. That plan was shelved because of overwhelmingly negative reactions from fans.
Conclusion: 48G like that type of fandom and many idols may like it too.

 

I’m not sure how many people here believe this aspect of the scandal specifically, but there’s a lot of controversy about whether or not her idol persona was a genuine one or not - some fans even declaring that she was a liar the whole time.

I personally think she was genuine, and there’s one specific moment that I think specifically exonerates her. Back in around August or so, she raised a couple of eyebrows by saying “I did something not idol-like, but very human-like - I hope one day I can explain it to you” and then proceeded to say she was thinking of someone when she sang her next song. It’s pretty obvious what she meant by that in hindsight, but I think it shows that she operated her career with genuine intentions. She always wanted to be transparent with her fans, and this was her way of doing so. No one made her do that, so I think it points to her being honest throughout her whole career.

Given that statement rings true now that we know the whole situation, I think we can also believe other things she’s expressed about herself throughout her time as an idol. When she talks about not having a gender preference when dating, I believe it’s genuine. So, when she expresses her bi/pansexuality when flirting with other members or making it part of her persona, I think that’s also a genuine aspect of her. People act like she queerbaited, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. In her famous “coming out” interview, she specifically describes genuinely liking girls, but not having a gender preference. Her dating a man doesn’t invalidate that. So…in summary, I trust her to be generally honest.

 

If Okada had said something like:

"I've been an idol for ten years and I've always been professional. Now I'm 25, I'm getting old for this job and I fell in love with this guy. I'm planning on graduating soon and I decided to begin a life with him so I bought an apartment to live with him. Now I know I should probably graduate first and do this only afterwards, but I didn't expect to get caught. I'm sorry, folks".

I believe everyone would accept it... better.

But no, she planned to live together with this guy while staying an idol for 5 more years. And that because DH said there's no love ban rule so it should be OK?

 

Hey hey, what did Okabe say? Tell me, tell me, please.

 

Well, not to count our chickens before they hatch, but when she finally makes a public statement about this, she may hit on some of those points. It seems like she’s being very careful since she’s taking a while - she said on 755 to be patient, so I assume something is coming.

I agree that if she’s just actually honest about everything, it’d be better. Do we really know if she intends on being an idol for the next 5 years? About now would’ve been a good time to graduate, scandal or no.

 

i think people like "we ..... " (here ) can do what you quoate in next 100 years

funny

nachan dont have a choise now and " we ... " keep throw stones at her..

what do you want ??

at least she stay here longer than i am here. ( i edit her to here )

give her a little bit sweet " good bye "

she cant stay here anyway ....no matter what happen tormorrow

 

It's actually mindblowing how people love to forget that IT COSTS 10 DOLLARS TO TALK TO A MILDY "FAMOUS" GIRL FOR 8-10 SECONDS, if you tell anyone outside the wota circle that you are paying that much to talk to a girl they will call you crazy, AKB NEEDS this type of fan.

And then you start thinking about how many of these girls actually made in the entertainment world and see how much they struggle, even Yamamoto Sayaka who was the most popular idol in the past had a hard time. To me it shows even more how much they have to rely on the fake love aspect of this business

It's also actually funny how even Sashi who loved to brag about how her group doesn't have a love ban came running to deny dating rumours when it happened to one of her girls, she even said she wouldn't comment on any rumour ever again. When it happened again to another member some time later guess what happened? Again she came back to deny the rumours and even threatened to sue people spreading them. For a group that doesn't have love ban kinda Ironic isn't it?

 

This. These girls are in a pop group, but they don't need to sing well, they don't need to dance well, they don't even to necessarily look that good. The music is ok, there are some good catchy pop songs and theater favorites but then there are plenty of boring clunkers as well....and Honehone Waltz. The girls get forgiven a lot of these detractions because they're cute and friendly and project a fantasy. The members are the product.

Indeed, like many AKB fans said Takamina was a great singer and she flopped hard when she went solo, once they're out of the bubble life is tough.

 

In the stream you reference she implied she'd be an idol until 30, as that would be when she could finally talk about the "human-like" decision she made.

I do think she was being dishonest, not so much with us but with herself. There was no way this was going to stay secret that long.

And they really do need to stop hiding and just be honest about what happened, yeah. Even if Naachan plans to stay in the group or whatever, being quiet about it just makes the fans wonder and doubt more, and come to their own conclusions. If she's honest (and humble), even if there's some initial anger, at least the healing process can start.

Spoiler

 

I think this was the big issue with NGT48 as well, and it just reinforces this belief within me that things need to change.

NGT48's management allowed guys to their events, even after other 48G managements had blacklisted them for their creepy stalker behaviour, simply for one reason: money.

Guys like that Keisuke dude on twitter, whose photo of ripped up idol goods now has over 51k likes, need to be nipped in the bud early.

Management can't have their cake and eat it, too. They need to make a choice about whether they care more about safety and appropriate fandom behaviour, or if it's the money.

I agree.

None of this changes just how many hours of hard work and how many sleepless nights Nana has spent, pouring her heart and soul into AKB.

Having a boyfriend can actually be really motivational for her, as someone who loves you will always try and make you feel better. Rather than a distraction, he could be a booster for her, especially in times where she's stressed.

I usually actually get the opposite reaction. Western music fans spend upwards of $200 or $300 for a meet and greet sessions, whereas I can get an autograph or a photo and a nice little 1-2 minute chat for $30-60. And I do have a few photos as well as autographs from various members.

People outside of the wota circle are usually surprised how cheap and easy it is for me to meet my favourite band members. And actually, my favourite band member knows my name/face because of how regularly we meet - how many fans of western groups are able to say that? I'm not gonna be delusional and say my oshi cares for me like she would for a friend, but it's still nice nonetheless to be recognised by someone who's semi famous.

 

I have a hard time believing Nana (and Mion) is operating on her own without council from managers. Based on past interviews we know management has tried to keep her from leaving, she says this is how she became captain of STU. I just wouldn't be surprised if management had a hand in the response to the scandal and also a hand in the scandal happening in the first place-- like convincing Nana she can stay while dating. I just don't think they want her to go yet, and I'm also curious how many members are in the same boat as her that management doesn't want to leave.

I'm still pretty surprised it's her of all people in a dating scandal lol

 

I agree with the post that this is one big PR blunder. Makes you wonder though, how come in some cases, issues and scandals were handled well while some makes you think they intentionally want to take down a member (or the group in the case of NGT).

***

So far, I can see this going 2 ways: Okada graduating or just an issue that'll die-down without any big changes or effect to the group.

Then again, I might be mistaken.

 

She's totally right in doing so though? Specially if it's a fake rumour. No love ban doesn't mean spreading lies about the members is allowed.

 

Y'know, on one end of the spectrum, you have the people who want to send someone to the gulag because they are dating.

On the opposite end, there's you.

Rando on twitter: "X girl is dating Y guy"
gvstavvss: SUE THEIR ASS

Lmao

 

That's not what I meant. I may have expressed myself wrong due to English not being my first language, what I mean is that she has the right to do this.

 

Jeez.. these Okada fans are sadly naive. I'm genuinely starting to feel bad for some of you guys (or to be precise you girls). I really have a difficult time understanding how you can overlook her numerous lies and still defend her.

Some media outlets are saying Okada's scandal is the biggest scandal in AKB history. Many fans are leaving AKB. And this girl is on mobame saying "I want to watch the World Cup in person" "What did you have for breakfast?" "I'm not gonna give up" ... She's not taking any responsibility.

She said she will go to the lesson tomorrow (on mobame). Hopefully she no longer acts like she's some majime saint, captain, leader, center and face of the group because she's not, she's a two-faced liar, hypocrite, queer baiter who threw her 10-year career into trash can because of some dude she just started dating few months ago.

All the members have been working hard to revive AKB, and Okada, who was supposed to be in the center of it, decided to destroy AKB and her career, ignoring other members' effort and fans' support. She pretended to be majime for 10 years just to backstab everyone.