AKB48 2021 year in review, hope fear, predictions for 2022

With 2021 coming to an end soon, what are your thought when looking back at the whole year ?

• The goods ?
• The bads ?
• A few words to sum up 2021 ?

And let's mix this up with the somewhat Stage48 traditional year end thread

• Hopes for 2022 ?
• Fears for 2022 ?
• Your predictions ?

Please don't just post a list, give some arguments to your reasoning.

 

2021:




2022:

• Hopes: They actually do something: back to three single releases, maybe an album and... new stages?
• Fears: The stagnation is real and they keep doing the bare minimum while girls graduate left and right.
• Prediction: It will be a mix of both of the above!

 

• The goods ? Ne Mo Ha Mo Rumor, we all know how good this song is, it helps put AKB back on the map (not yet on Kouhaku radar though). And the other goods came on the same day near the end of the year, that is the team shuffle, 17th gen, new concerts, coupling RH.
• The bads ? One single (again). No Kouhaku (again).
• A few words to sum up 2021 ? The year where it begins again.

• Hopes for 2022 ? Definitely new stages, more than 1 singles, get invited back to Kouhaku (all of these basically are hopes for 2021, which clearly were not realized). A new hope would be the end of covid effect, fans in full force (full capacity with chants) and all members are healthy.
• Fears for 2022 ? Nothing really, except some hopes may not be realized again. New stage is just a bonus if there is one, but not much to expect about this. The announcement of the 17th gen has removed all my fear concerning longetivity of AKB.
• Your predictions ? There will be exactly 2 singles. No new stages (at best it would just be a new stage consisting of old songs). AKB back in Kouhaku.

 

For 2021:
Mostly what @Trinu posted
But also for the bads: Just one single and that one was, as a whole, deficient. 6 songs (5 if we ignore the cheap tracklist-gap filler Hanareteitemo) and only 3(2) MVs (I count Rumors MVs as one). One was the singles mv, the other for Yuihans graduation song. No extras, nothing. And this small tracklist was divided on 4 editions+3Ltds. That's a joke (at least imo). And additionally they made a show that pretty much failed. No concept plus a name that feels like AKB submitted to Nogizaka.

For 2022:
Hopes: Three singles. Three are absolutely enough, quality over quantity! Give us well thought out stories, good music, lyrics, choreographies, costumes,.. (and release it on Blu-Ray, can't stand this DVD quality, we're livin' in 2021) album. At best we get studio + best. The last single released on album was ''11gatsu no Anklet'', the LP was released in 2018. So 8 singles plus some selected coupling songs would still be to much for a single cd in my opinion. New stages and a good ALL NEW variety show (no Neo bla bla). Maybe also something specific for YT so everybody around the globe can enjoy it if he/her wants to.
And please new profile pictures!
Fears: That nothing changes for real, only talk but no actions. And a baaad 17th gen. Chosen only for look and ''she could be a bomb in gravure'' but no individuell character/qualities
Predictions: I can't even tell what will actually happen in 10 minutes, so I leave it to fate.

 

The goods: the Tandoku concert was great! Definitely proves that the girls can still make a great show even if they don’t have all the same pizzazz as they did before. I also liked all the other AKB-only stuff—they’re clearly trying to build up a good solid group since they let the sister groups overpower them for so long, so this is a step in the right direction imo

The bads: only one single, but that wasn’t necessarily their fault. Also that Nogizaka show they had that totally tanked. Sometimes I wonder if they had any plan at all with that show.

2021 summary: not a great year for the group but at least they tried (kinda)

Now for 2022…
Hopes: more singles—they don’t necessarily have to be AKB-only but it would be good to continue to build the group up. TV shows or specials that actually benefit the group.

Fears: graduations of members who management is relying on to make the group popular again (a la Moeka). Management giving up on building the group and relying on the sister groups again because they didn’t see immediate success (sometimes it feels like they forgot how long it took the OG AKB to get popular and they give up too easily)

Predictions: the pessimist in me thinks there will only be one single again next year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t get any specials or concerts outside of gradcons.

 

2021
Good: 1 great single, An awesome concert back in May, New Generation Auditions Announcement + Team Shuffle and still continuing AKB48's one uninterrupted event (Request Hour)
Bad: 1 Single...again (Though like @sarachuu said not their fault). Plus no NHK Kohaku...again. P
Summary: We got something at least lol.

2022
Hopes: AKB48 old events returns with them being AKB Only, More the 1 Single, New Album, New Stages, AKBINGO NEO becomes a weekly thing,
Fears: Same old stuff we've got from March 2020 - May 202
Predictions: 3 Singles (with a 17th Gen centering the final single of 2022), New Weekly Show.

 

The Bad: Another year mostly treading water.

The Good: A bunch of grannies finally graduated or announced graduation at long last.

Hope for 2022: 17th gen. Hopefully AKB recruit good looking girls that can sing and/or dance.

 

I hope AKB keeps having AKB-only releases and doing their thing but I also hope we see the comeback of All-groups events/concerts as things get better

 

Hopes:
More mature and pretty visually 17gen
At least 2 singles
No mix with SG anymore
More graduates & more new perspective faces

Fears:
Loli-Childish 17gen
Only 1 single
Mix with SG again
NEW AKB faces with more than 10 years of experience
100000+ members = HS factory - strategy

Predictions:
No prediction

AKB48 needs to update itself.

 

I bet that dislike was because of this.

 

And a well-deserved dislike that would be (see below), but based on the other dislikes it could have been "No mix with SG anymore".

When you really think about what "more mature ... 17th gen that's not loli or childish" means, that would be a departure from one of the central pillars of 48g toward a 46g/kpop-style gen. 48 idols aren't supposed to be finished products when they debut (hence, no experience required), half the interest is being able to watch and cheer for members as they grow and mature, even being part of their journey in a small way. Yeah, someone looking from outside could see that as "loli-childish", but that's just the starting point.

Hopes
Both AKB-only releases and at least one Japan48 release or major activity (e.g. Undokai).
Athletic or dance competitions, or something else more members can participate in successfully than singing contests.
A 17th gen that ends up being more, ah, "visually interesting" than 16th was, but still has a lot of room to grow.
Management actually coming up with some ideas that are both creative and sensible, and following through with them. Or even better if members come up with the ideas, so long as they are given support.
Megu continuing in senbatsu.
NEW ORIGINAL STAGES

Fears
The Return of SSK
Another attempt at Jurina/Moeka/Hasemomo.
Too many graduations.
Covid continuing to disrupt another year.
Management continuing to be lazy, nonsensical, and unable to commit.
Revivals of the same Team stages we've seen over and over again with little to no change.

 

Considering the age range for auditions is 12-20, they will be pretty young for the most part, surely. It can't be helped. Also, I think it's nice to see young girls try so hard.

2021
The Good: I genuinely really enjoyed Ne mo Ha mo Rumor. It was my most played song of the year on Spotify and kicked another group off of my #1 most listened artist as well. Personally, I also got to participate in "handshakes" for the first time and I'm still amazed every time that I can actually talk to these girls, who live so far away from me.
The Bad: Only one single, and it was quite late in the year. Also Request Hour was... tragic, to put it nicely. They tried but jesus christ. Also, the new show was suspended indefinitely after only a few episodes.
A few words to sum up 2021: A new starting point

2022
Hopes: I also want more singles again. 3 would be ideal but I'd also be happy if there was one in like April and another one in October or so. At least nicely spread out. I also hope the new gen will have some interesting members. If things go well, I'd like the first promotion to happen before the year ends.
Fears: More concerts will be cancelled again, sister groups will be massively involved again. I love sister groups but I think the purist approach has really helped push some faces into the public's mind.
My predictions: New team songs... please

 

16-18 is OK, 12-14 NO! Of course, you can take 12 year old girls and keep them in the basement for 5 years. But I hope the participants take off quickly from 17gen.

 

As far as AKB48 members only senbatsu open up opportunity for more AKB48 girls but if 48group becoming far and far decentralized, are 48group will start to ravage each other for dominance? I think there are talk about SKE48 is so close in surpassing AKB48. Besides, is management willing to forgo 1 million sale if the situation of pandemic is improved? Getting 1 million sale after more than ten years of debuting and losing most of the pillar members during the heyday is pretty much an achievement in itself.

 

2021
The good: Nemohamo was the catalyst not only for the group re-develop their image and gain new fans, but also the key to the members strengthening the group bonds and desire to do well as AKB48. It's the first time since Tokyo Dome(!!), that I've felt such strong desire from the members to bring the group up. It was so moving it made me want to pay attention to the "new" AKB, whereas before, I was pretty content with only knowing a few girls from senbatsu (as a result of everyone else I knew graduating while I focused on NMB and Sakurazaka lol).
The bad: The overall lack of things happening before the single. It felt like from the Kouhaku drop in 2020 up until the single release, the group was just doing nothing but finding opportunities to throw a pity party, that horrid "nogi surpassed us" show, and all the graduations. It was literally a sinking ship, but I'm glad they overcame it.
2021 Summarized: A revival of sorts. With the last 1st gen member and 2nd General Manager graduating this year, alongside the first AKB only single in over a decade, you could say they group has regenerated. It's still AKB, but it's a new start for them.

2022
Hopes:

• They continue with the "AKB only" singles. The sakamichi groups could achieve 1million selling singles without mixing members, and AKB can do the same.
• New team songs AND bring something new to the theatre! Utilize the one thing that sets them apart from other idols and make it more fun for both idols and fan.
• A new online TV show. Something similar to Izone's ENOZI CAM would be fun. Idols talk so much about things that happen backstage or during their schedules, let us see! Hello!Project does this a lot with their DVD's but I think if they're going for a more current appeal to younger audiences, youtube would be best for this. Or just AKBingo online lol.
• Continue to push a handful of girls. 16-18 member senbatsu but make sure 6-8 girls are really getting shown off as the next "kami 7". At all times. Let the public put name to face. Then replace that genshin advert that took over the AKB advert in akiba with the "new" Kami 7 of AKB and reclaim their lost ground.
• 3 singles this year, April, July, Oct/Nov. Sakura single, Summer single, Fall single. It's simple, gives fans time to save money, idols more resting time, and producers can focus on creating good songs.
• They immediately push the 17th gen. Airdrop some of them into the senbatsu if you must, just make sure they don't start graduating before the general public knows they exist.

Fears: They do none of the above AND continue to be stagnant.
Predictions: They continue to develop the new akb narrative but still go at a slow pace.

 

Surpassing them how? It can't be sales.

 

Flashier management? Zest certainly makes more promises than DH (and somehow also keeps fewer of them).