[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

Full episode from TV Tokyo BIZ with Mahopyon, Yunachan and Odaeri:


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Another 'behind' video of the Budokan concerts from Nachu:


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Zunchan and Maho with a 20th birthday surprise for Erii:


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EDIT: Ayanan's challenge game with Zunchan, Kururun and Manaka:


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Which audition will attract more applicants, AKB48 19th gen or Ado's idol group? Well, it's not a competition

 

Ado's idol group

 

Yeah, Ado is the most popular female solo act of Jpop today

But as a producer, she's still inexperienced. Well, she's still 21

2024 will be a busy year for her. Beside producing her idol group, she'll have a world tour that will end with a concert in Tokyo National Stadium

I'm pretty sure Ado got interested to produce an idol group after her collaboration with Le Sserafim (Sakura)

Initially, I thought the one who would produce an idol group was Ayase (Yoasobi)

Seems Universal is serious to make idol great again. Beside getting AKB48 & Hololive to join the label, Ado, one of their most popular artists is also producing an idol group

 

Young people are more likely to follow more famous persons. Not just popular group but popular idol like Maiyan or Acchan.

 

AKB48 WORLD is getting terminated.

 

I'm sure they can survive a few more Kouhaku absences.

 

Next year is Momusu's 25th anniversary iirc and they haven't been relevant for far longer than AKB and they're still going.

 

We care about Kouhaku?

 

Perfume is on the list too. They sold 16k first week for their 2023 single... why does Kouhaku hate AKB?

 

Snubbed again this year? Yuki graduating wasn't even enough for NHK to consider an invite?

Something is really fishy here.. I mean, AKB's last appearance turned out well, right?

 

When DH and Universal select the members of the senbatsu they say that sales aren't everything, there's also followers, likes, engagement, public opinion. You can't use those very same sales to win a spot in the Kouhaku. We're going to have to admit that nobody cares about AKB anymore with the exception of their fans. 400k sales? Yeah, fans buying dozens, hundreds of CDs for tickets. AKB isn't getting more popular, the demand for AKB in the general public doesn't exist. No, they're not becoming popular again, they can't even sell out concerts held in half a venue.

This is the harsh reality: even Yukirin is struggling! People still know who she is but do they care? She lost the right timing.

There's no room for more than two Sakamichi groups, you don't see any Sashihara group, nor FRUITS ZIPPER, Takane no Nadeshiko, nothing, not even when Johnny's were banned from the show. Groups that even though smaller than AKB don't have the same negative image that AKB has. Ado sells less than AKB doesn't she? But nobody sane would question that she's dearest to the Japanese unlike any 48 Group... group.

 

Way before Yukirin grad announcement i remember seeing comments of fans saying she should have left in 2015-2016 when she was at her peak and her solo career was doing great enough to not need AKB back. I remember people worried about her in 2020 and some calling her dumb because she lost the right timing many times.

People forget that Kouhaku also takes in consideration General Public opinion on the groups. AKB may sell well but nobody knows the members individually, their most well known songs are from 10-12 years ago, let's be real, only wotas still care about them nowadays.

Nogizaka46? Their recent songs might not be memorable but they are still really popular among GP even after losing pilar members like Asuka, members like Zukki and Kuboshi have a solid acting career.

Sakurazaka46? Start Over was a legit hit and managed to call GP attention, plus, they promoted the whole year, even overseas. That's a deserved spot if you ask me.

Not even Hinatazaka, who has better single sales than AKB and much more public recognition and fandom managed to get a ticket to Kouhaku. Simply because S&F(admin) failed to manage them this year and gave them rushed singles, an album that even the fans are boycotting, cancelled HinaKuri, barely promoted them and had very few concerts. They didn't catch the GP attention this year, even with some popular members who always appear on TV.

If anything those latest Kouhaku announcements have teached us, 48/46G fans, is to not take things for granted. Each year it seems to get harder to get that ticket, especially with k-pop groups joining since Kouhaku wants to attract a younger audience.

 

AKB48 has not been invited for many years and you guys still discuss about Kouhaku? Please move on and forget it.

 

Honestly I don't care for Kouhaku. I'm not just saying this because 48G isn't on it, of course if AKB got invited, I would be happy for them, it would be nice, it would be something to look forward to etc. But them not being there doesn't feel like a loss anymore imo. Because I see the event and who's invited and it really doesn't seem like that much of a big deal anymore...

I don't think Yukirin is struggling. She has close to 600k subscribers on her YouTube and between 100k to 500k views on average in her videos (sometimes in the millions), it shows that people do care for her, she's relevant, she's just not at her peak because she has a 17-years long career, I don't know another idol who after 17 years is doing as good as Yukirin and who has people caring for her as much... and I guess, the "right timing" for her to leave would have been years ago like at least 7 years ago. But she loves being an idol, so there wasn't any reason for her to leave back then when she wanted to continue being in the group, and it the end, I think it was a good decision for her. She had bad luck because she never got called a "Kami" member, it was always Kami 7 and she wasn't in it, even though she was top 3 of elections by 2011 at the 3rd election (and went as high as #2, and lowest #5 in 2016, it was her last election). But because she stayed this long, she had a career this long and she's leaving at 32 years old, she got something else that is as worthy as being called a Kami 7. She's now pretty much a legend in AKB's history. There's no way someone else can have the same career that she had in the group, 17 years, experienced everything, successful until the end, and leaving at 32. She will forever be remembered for this. and I think considering all of this, she's doing more than great tbh lol. Now about why AKB doesn't get invited in big events...

I don't disagree with this, but I think one problem with 48G is also simply their image. They've been there for sooo long that they're kinda considered 'a thing of the past'... For example, Music Station didn't invite AKB this year. They stopped being invited at the single where Hiichan centered... Hiichan is known among the youth. She's not irrelevant, but they still stopped inviting them somehow. The group also still has Yukirin but it's not enough for them to be on a regular music show like Music Station which is not that big of a deal...

About Nogi, you said that some members have a solid acting career, well, Yuiyui also has a solid acting career, she's getting lots and lots of roles in the past 2 years... and she centered a single this time, again this was still not enough for Music Station to invite them.

Lastly, for Sakurazaka, they had a successful song. well, last year, STU had a successful song and it was even in the theme of Kouhaku or something, but again, they didn't get invited. Even when AKB did good with Ne mo Ha mo Rumor, it also wasn't enough to get them invited.

It's not like those other idol girl groups who get invited have better sales or "more real" sales than AKB, or anything different than AKB, they're just more new and trendy, and that's enough to get them invited everywhere. I feel like AKB or 48G could do anything, have relevant members, a viral song, whatever else, and still wouldn't get invited.

And it's also not just about success because when I see who's getting invited to Music Station or Kouhaku, a lot of it seems to be from connections, agencies, or the channel trying to aim at certain audiences, whatever else... Some of those artists are definitely not more deserving than AKB. Just saying...

But yeah anyway...

I guess we'll see AKB at the usual CDTV New Year show? There's that CDTV treats AKB really well.

 

This I was actually kind of bitter about. STU deserved it last year

Hiichan and Yuiyui have a stable acting careers too, plus Yukirin is a long term legend that the GP would recognise probably.

Outside of the golden era from like 2010-15, AKB has always struggled to be respected as a proper artist.

 

NHK rather picks Attarashi Gakko over AKB48

I feel like that edgy idols like Attarashi Gakko are the idols of Reiwa era. More edgy idols will come, Ado's idol group is one of them, there will be more

No AKB48 on Kouhaku means there also won't be any other 48 group on Kouhaku, no matter how hyping they are

 

Being invited to Kohaku is not only about year's popular songs. It's also about personalities. If the results of AKB48 were much worse than now, but there would be such stars as Yuko, Sasshi or Acchan in the group, then they would be invited.

Attarashi Gakko are this year's super breakthrough, STU wasn't.

 

Also, Kouhaku needs to have senior artists too, I pick Masayuki Suzuki as the best example

Maybe most milenials & gen Z know him for singing Kaguya Sama theme songs but he's been active as a musical artist for decades. He still looks fresh though he's 67

 

Agree
I actually enjoy to watch Ishikawa Sayuri every year again and again