[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

Erii has posted a 'behind' video of the Budokan concerts:

[video has been privated for a second time]

 

To be fair, ATARASHII GAKKO! is the one act I'm actually happy for that they got invited. If you check, almost their entire discography is released digitally only because they don't have a proper label (you can also check Spotify - usually where it says "(C) Record Label", it just says "(C) ATARASHII GAKKO!"). They're managed by three different agencies as well.

OTONABLUE was released in 2020 but the MV only came out this year. The video has 46M views currently, the FIRST TAKE version even more (49M). For a pretty much digital, unaffiliated artist that is rather... insane, in all the best way. The song also has 37M streams on Spotify and the group has over 1.3M monthly listeners, which is twice that of AKB48 who has quite a lot of foreign listeners too (but I think ATARASHII GAKKO! is mainly known in Japan). I know AKB48 wota don't care so much about streaming so AKB and ATARASHII GAKKO! are pretty much the opposite and therefore hard to compare. But I think they deserve it.

(Also it's kinda funny that you mention they are the idols of Reiwa era because the song that propelled them into stardom this year was known for being Showa era-esque lmao. P.S.: They aren't an idol group)

 

U

Unfortunately i have to disagree with many points raised in these posts.

First of all, the rating of both shows indeed is on the decline. BUT if you look at the AVERAGE rating of tv shows. They are ALL in decline. Sure u see one or two hit tv shows, but they are only 1 or 2 each year (e.g. kaseifu no mita, hanzawa naoki, doctor x series) but even then they are not that high compared to tv shows of the past. For janken, the rating was never high to begin with. For ssk, sure they are getting less viewership but they are still higher than many shows in that year. yet many of those shows and tv series get "renewal" but not ssk. (Not to mention boradcasting of ssk needs very low budget from the tv channel part so....) anyway, The last ssk still manage to attract many viewers and many tv channels broadcast the snippets of the major ranks, and some even do it real time.

The thing is... if you take a closer look at the way akb group operates starting on 2013, they are getting more reliant on the sponsors. In fact, many of their decision (ngt48, stu48, etc) are a result of the influence from local government as their sponsors and "partnership" (team 8 with toyota). Heck look at the ssk locations. U can't say they are free from the influence of sponsors.

After the ngt scandals, we can literally see many news articles on sponsors withdrawing and distancing themselves from akb. And i bet behind the closed doors many are giving akb the cold war treatment. Ala japanese company style. They dont say it outright (e.g. they are displaying their tatemae) but the honne is that they are making sure they are less associated with akb. Also many directors, tv channels, big names are also withdrawing themselves from akb at this moments.

Ps: putting janken and ssk at the same sentence is also a misnomer. Janken was done to gain headlines, they were about branding but never about money. Their purpose are different.

How about post covid? Now they are very different factors why akb stops doing ssk, compared to the reason why they stopped in post NGT scandal. Why? Simply because akb is no longer the official "mother" company or motherhood. Each of the sister groups no longer have "formal" connections, with the exception of some companies which belong to the same subsidiaries

 

Compare Yuiyui with a Taigai and an Asadora actress? I don't think it's the same.
Yuiyui is great, she's been working so hard lately but her impact is certainly not as big as Kuboshita.
And maybe it's Universal who doesn't want to fight for AKB slot, they don't care at all. Without MSta or Kohaku AKB's sales still increase and reach 500k copies easily after 11 rounds of HS. Less invest and more profit, why not?

 

AKB48 will be appearing on the second night of the 2023 FNS Music Festival which will be broadcast on Fuji TV on 12/13:

https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1727069391471481003
https://twitter.com/fns_kayousai/status/1727069377931997547
https://www.fujitv.co.jp/FNS/

 

Time for the occasional ranking stuff:
"Ranking of Female Idols that Generation Z is paying attention to" 2023 ver


Methodology, definition of Gen Z, etc (google translated):


AKB ranks at #8 with Yukirin at #10 and Hiichan at #12 !


Apparently the first time AKB got into top 10 in the last 3 years!

source and more rankings : https://tpranking.com/2023-idol-generationz?page=2

 

SBS TV news report of Harupyon and Zunchan at an event yesterday to promote the area near the south exit of JR Higashi-Shizuoka Station:


if the video does not show watch the video here

EDIT: Comment video for 'ARTISTS LEAGUE Presents... MUSIC TRIBE' held on 11/22:


if the video does not show watch the video here

WWS Channel's site has a number of photos of the members on stage at the event:
https://www.wws-channel.com/music2/469438.html?view=more

 

'AKB48 Chousatai!' 11/19 with Ayamin, Haachan, Harupyon and Zunchan:


if the video does not show watch the video here

EDIT : Yukirin has just posted a 'behind' video of the 2nd and 3rd Budokan concerts:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Tomorrow, 29th at 22:00 JST will be a special stream to announce the categories and nominated members for the "AKB48 Member of the Year" awards.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OJE77CzIO0


if the video does not show watch the video here

The results will be announced at the special anniversary event in the 8th of December.

MC: Mion, Naru, Yuiyui, Ai-chan and Mizumin

 

Can't wait to see who won the agency of the year award.

 

Without Mion who is in bad health condition
https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1729795054590382292

 

A batch of MV arrived today on Youtube:

• Hidari no Ude de Tsuresatte (Team Surprise 4th)
  
• Yasashisa ni Amaerarenai (Team Surprise 4th)
  
• Tetsugaku no Mori (Team Surprise 2nd)
  
• Ai no Kawa (Team Surprise 2nd)
  
• Hokori no Oka (Team Surprise 4th)
  
• Kimi no News (Team Surprise 3rd)
  
• Anata no Kawari wa Inai (Team Surprise 3rd)
  
• Las Vegas de Kekkon Shiyou (Team Surprise 3rd)
  
• Utsukushii Kari (Team Surprise 2nd)
  
• Zankokuna Ame (Team Surprise 4th)
  
• AKB Festival (Team Surprise 3rd)
  
• Kono Namida wo Kimi ni Sasagu (NO NAME)
• Hoppe, Tsuneru (Team Surprise 2nd)
  
• Inori wa Donna Mirai mo Shiawase ni Kaeru (Team Surprise 4th)
  
• Heavy Rotation (Team Surprise 3rd)
• Kibou ni Tsuite (NO NAME)

https://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-12830697091.html
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AKB48 HADO kai Final season draft is broadcasted on Youtube
12/02, 21h00 JST

if the video does not show watch the video here
https://twitter.com/hado_idol/status/1730427331150533103

 

Thanks for these (and especially the transliterations) but there was a couple missed:

Gesuna Yume (Team Surprise 4th):

if the video does not show watch the video here

Hanashiaite wa Reizouko (Team Surprise 4th):

if the video does not show watch the video here

EDIT: The videos for 'Hidari no Ude de Tsuresatte', 'Tetsugaku no Mori', 'Anata no Kawari wa Inai' and 'Utsukushii Kari' appear to have all been privated.

Tokyo Hive has published a webpage with the thumbnails for each of the 14 videos which remain available:
https://www.tokyohive.com/article/2...nic-songs-including-no-name-unit-performances

Note that the thumbnails are blank for the two NO NAME videos but they should still play.

 

my favorite finally in HD res!

 

The HADO draft has been held, this are the team names and the choices of the draft:

Team "If you give up then the match is over" Captain: Omori Maho
Team "Pokkemuri" Captain: Taguchi Manaka
Team "Hotei Sokudo To Yuuetsukan" Captain: Hotei Moka
Team "Believe" Captain: Yamauchi Mizuki

If two captains pick up the same member, which captain takes that member is decided by lottery. In the list below, the member name is crossed out for the loser captain and next to it the name of the member choosen instead of it.

• 1st choice
• Mahopyon: Chiba Erii
• Manaka: Kuranoo Narumi Mukaichi Mion
• Hotechan: Kuranoo Narumi
• Zukky: Murayama Yuiri

• 2nd choice
• Mahopyon: Suzuki Kurumi Iwatate Saho
• Manaka: Nagatomo Ayami
• Hotechan: Oguri Yui
• Zukky: Suzuki Kurumi

• 3rd choice
• Mahopyon: Kohama Kokone
• Manaka: Taniguchi Megu Gyoten Yurina
• Hotechan: Yamane Suzuha
• Zukky: Taniguchi Megu

• 4th choice
• Mahopyon: Kubo Hinano
• Manaka: Hatakeyama Nozomi
• Hotechan: Muto Orin
• Zukky: Yagi Azuki

• 5th choice
• Mahopyon: Yamazaki Sora
• Manaka: Hirata Yuki
• Hotechan: Akiyama Yuna
• Zukky: Akiyama Yuna Masai Mayuu

• 6th choice
• Mahopyon: Sato Airi
• Manaka: Kurosu Haruka Takahashi Ayane
• Hotechan: Sato Airi Fukuoka Seina
• Zukky: Kurosu Haruka

• 7th choice
• Mahopyon: Arai Sae Mizushima Miyuu
• Manaka: Sato Minami
• Hotechan: Kudo Kasumi
• Zukky: Arai Sae

• 8th choice
• Mahopyon: Sako Yumemi
• Manaka: Hashimoto Eriko
• Hotechan: Shitao Miu
• Zukky: Yamaguchi Yui

• 9th choice
• Mahopyon: Tokunaga Remi
• Manaka: Ota Yuki
• Hotechan: Komiyama Haruka
• Zukky: Nagano Serika

• 10th choice
• Mahopyon: Sasaki Yukari Sakagawa Hiyuka
• Manaka: Hashimoto Haruna
• Hotechan: Sasaki Yukari
• Zukky: Narita Kohina

Thanks to @donjonnie for taking note of the last choices instead of me

Day 1 will be in January 10, 2024

 

The Official AKB48 Custom Calendar is available to buy. You can customise each month with a picture of your chosen member.

https://imagingmall.com/akb48_fungoods/



Its 3500 yen for a desk calendar and 4900 for a wall calendar (plus 700 delivery).

It's available until the 27th of December.

 

Happy Anniversary to the main mother group: AKB48!

 

AKB48 ranked 92nd on Billboard Japan Year End Artist 100 of 2023, the only 48g in the chart https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=artist_year&year=2023

 

Pending the creation of a new thread, here's the official announcement video from today's 18th Anniversary show of the 63rd single with Yukirin center (title TBA, release date 3/13):


if the video does not show watch the video here

EDIT: Thread now created by @lionel90.