1. Check the 2023 Stage48 Member Ranking Results, how did your Oshimen rank this year?

[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

Discussion in 'General AKB48 Discussion' started by Kyobu, Jun 16, 2007.

  1. lionel90

    lionel90 Under Girls

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2009
    Twitter:
    Lionel_90

    if the video does not show watch the video here
     
    • Like Like x 2
  2. Izzy Trinh

    Izzy Trinh Future Girls Studio48 Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2019
    Oshimen:
    AKB48 Yukirin, AKB48 Naamin
    Engsub full the story:
    This is so heart-broken, I believe not only Masaru feel like this but also other 17ki, especially Erichan our big wota. I hope that each 17ki member can at least have a chance to perform as under in current team stage before this August. Also, with the new system, will be the 1st time Yukirin not a part of Team B :cold:.
    I'm curious how they will decide the theater performance line-up after disbanding all Team. STU48 divided members by generation, NMB48 divided them by unit and NGT48 didn't have enough members to divide.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  3. wlerin

    wlerin Next Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2012
    Oshimen:
    Taniguchi Megu
    NGT48 and STU48 both divided members up further into small quasi-official subgroups (often with members in multiple groups). We've also had multiple non-team 16 member "special" stages with different primary lineups (though those lineups get diluted over time as more unders perform).

    The one potential silver lining in losing the teams is Yuiri might be able to beat her previous days-performed-in-a-row record.
    If she doesn't graduate first :^^;:
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. sscrla

    sscrla Stage48 Moderator Staff Member Stage48 Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2015
    Oshimen:
    Takayanagi Akane

    if the video does not show watch the video here
     
    • Like Like x 4
    • Winner Winner x 1
  5. souchan48

    souchan48 Future Girls

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2013
    Location:
    Oshimen: Amami Yuki
    Oshimen:
    takahashiminami
    Idk if the team disband was done when team was actually a thing I would be feeling something.


    But now... meh.

    I cant understand that member's overreaction either. Team K has been very weak for the longest time. Even team B and team 4, 8 have been doing much well than team K. Much more cohesive and tightly-knitted.
     
    • Dislike Dislike x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. bonjourmarlene

    bonjourmarlene Under Girls Wiki48 Editor

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2016
    Location:
    UK-AUT
    Oshimen:
    小林蘭
    Twitter:
    curioushitomi
    Weak in what way? If you mean hanashikai sales, I can understand, but other than that...?

    I mean, Manaka for example is the team captain. Her and Ran-chan were at the same school and graduated high school together just around this time last year. Manaka just said earlier today how Ran-chan has supported her throughout her captaincy so far.

    Shimoguchi Hinana is also, by far, in my opinion, the most supportive and encouraging of all members in AKB. She constantly hangs out with other members in her private time (also keep in mind, this is Hinana's 10th year in AKB and she's only 21. She's been "Team K Shimoguchi Hinana" since 2013. That's half of her entire life).

    Even more so Yukirin, who's been "Team B Kashiwagi Yuki" for 17 years now.

    The teams have only been in place they are for about a year now (April 25th, 2022), but there are quite a lot of members whose whole identity with AKB is attached to a team. After almost every shuffle or reorganisation, there is always a wave of graduation announcements (look at Eitos since last October). Members love their teams and the members in their teams.

    I'm sure Kobayashi Ran is only the first.
     
    • Agree Agree x 8
    • Like Like x 1
  7. wlerin

    wlerin Next Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2012
    Oshimen:
    Taniguchi Megu
    Have you watched a single Team K stage recently? How can you even type this with a straight face? K is one of the most tight-knit teams and closest to its original image (cool, dance-heavy, bonds, underdogs), perhaps in part because it's so much the underdog in terms of treatment by management and the wider fanbase.

    Teams still have meaning to members and to current fans, even if they've lost all meaning to management and ex fans.


    I will not shed a single tear for the death of shuffles, which are what killed the concept of most teams in the first place. But to lose the teams along with them...
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2023
    • Agree Agree x 9
    • Like Like x 1
  8. nigamushiotoko

    nigamushiotoko Upcoming Girls

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2014
    Location:
    Haruka Village
    Oshimen:
    ≒JOY
    Twitter:
    hakata345
    let's be honest. the only Team that have solid image and big fans was Team 8.
    when we see member like yuiyui or kuranoo, we see them as a member of Team 8.
    meanwhile when we see member like Ran, we know her more as a D3 member than Team K, zukki as 16ki, erii as D2, and chiyori as HKT48 transfer.
    only a few members have a team image attached to them such as yukirin and yuiri.

    a big shakeup is needed and if that means dismiss all Teams, then so be it.
     
    • Agree Agree x 6
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  9. Mimikkyu

    Mimikkyu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2019
    Oshimen:
    48G itself.
    A recent Bunshun article
    https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/61988

    Is it because of declining sales?” The deep reason why he transferred from AKB48’s “leading figure” King Records at the height of its popularity
    The record company belonging to the idol group "AKB48" has transferred to the Japanese music label "EMI Records" of "Universal Music". Starting with her 61st single,, which was released on April 26th, she suddenly left "King Records", where she had belonged for 15 years. Big-name artists move their record company or go independent...that happens all the time, but is this transfer of AKB48 really a "positive" transfer? Or...
    The “leader” of AKB48 at the height of its popularity
    When I heard the news of the transfer, I was surprised, because AKB48 and King Record seemed to be "on the same page". The two-top girls, Atsuko Maeda and Yuko Oshima, had fought for the top spot in the general election for the Japanese pop culture and had become a social phenomenon, and they had won the Record Grand Prize two years in a row, with "Flying Get" in 2011 and "Manatsu no Sounds good! ..."
    AKB48 and King Records. The relationship between the two is not a new one: AKB48 made its indie debut in February 2006 with the single "Sakura no Hanabiratachi" and made its major debut in October of the same year with the single "Aitakatta" on the "Defstar Records" label within "Sony Music Entertainment". The move to King Records began in 2008 with the release of their 10th single, "Oogoe Diamond" Former staff at "AKS," which was the management company of AKB48, fondly remembers the time when they first started working with the group.
    It became such a hit that it could be said to be one of the group's best-known songs. King Record renewed and restructured not only the music but also the handshake system. They introduced a "nationwide handshake event" and established the image of the "idol you can go see" that has become synonymous with the group. Without a doubt, he is the "driving force" behind AKB48, which later became a major breakthrough and reached the peak of its popularity.
    Is the drop in sales the only reason?
    King Records has had a close relationship with AKB48 for about 15 years since then, and many people involved with AKB48 were shocked by this move. So why did they have to leave King Record, which had such a close relationship with AKB48? A writer in charge of female idols for gravure magazines is disappointed, saying, "It seems that the contract could not be renewed due to various reasons.
    The relationship between King Record and AKB48's current management company, DH Inc. has been strained: since the management of AKB48 and its sister groups such as NMB48 and HKT48 split off from 2020, members of the sister groups have basically stopped participating in AKB48's singles. Inevitably, sales dropped sharply from the 58th single, "Nemohamo Rumor," released in 2021." (Gravure magazine writer)
    Was the decline in sales the only reason for the move?
    Distortions" created over the past 15 years
    "The momentum of AKB48 as a whole was declining, and DH's kitchen gradually became more and more difficult, so they told King Records that they wanted to increase the profit margin from CD sales. From King Records' point of view, this was a tough proposition since overall sales were declining to begin with.
    It is said that various "distortions" have arisen in the 15 years of history.
    There are so many things that AKB48 management has entrusted to King Records. Some of them could be described as "throwing it all away. The handshake events and the annual general election are events that are tied to CD sales, so there may be some aspects that can't be helped, but the arrangements for music programs, including meetings with producers and directors, the PR work for TV and newspaper media for each event and live performance, and so on.... .... It was hard to see how busy the King Records staff was at the peak of their careers.
    What "changes" are expected in AKB48 after the transfer?
    The sudden transfer can be said to be a "comprehensive decision" by King Record.
    There were several opinions within King Record. Although sales have decreased compared to the days when they had a string of million-seller hits, in this day and age, artists who can still sell more than 300,000 to 400,000 copies are still very valuable. Depending on the way DH came up with various proposals, a different conclusion might have been reached.
    Now that AKB48 will belong to Universal Music, which is said to be one of the "world's leading music companies," what kind of changes can be expected?
    For better or worse, I think efficiency will increase
    One thing that can be said is that, for better or worse, efficiency will increase. However, as a foreign-affiliated company, contractual relations are dry and they tend not to do more work than necessary. Aggressive sales pitches to television will also be reduced from record companies. In the past, King Record had a passion for AKB48. There is no longer any way to compare them.
    Where will AKB48 go now that they have graduated from their "partners" who have been working together for 15 years?
     
    • Informative Informative x 9
    • Like Like x 1
  10. donjonnie

    donjonnie Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Oshimen:
    Time's up
    Lighthearted reply to above:
    Maybe Universal promised better food supply? :XD:

    Starbucks stuff from Universal on the 2nd day of recent hanashikai:
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
    video: https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1655058355134791681/pu/vid/720x1280/ZmFR_rBm6cPjDhN6.mp4

    Other stuffs they eat in those 2 days:
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Well I remember during the heyday King Records also supplied excellent food stuffs so I'm not sure whether they're cutting back cost or spending more here, relatively. :^^;:

    ============================
    Also members are seeing an increase on female fans coming to the hanashikai

    if the video does not show watch the video here
    The fans in the comment section seem to observe the same thing for theater shows as well.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2023
    • Like Like x 10
    • Informative Informative x 2
  11. David61

    David61 Under Girls Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    May 17, 2015
    Location:
    Reading, England
    Oshimen:
    Komiyama Haruka
    Twitter:
    DavidB13
    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
     
    • Like Like x 6
  12. Dokuro3313

    Dokuro3313 Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2019
    Location:
    Germany
    Oshimen:
    Onishi Momoka, Kojiharu
    Do you think, they are going to update profile pictures this year?
     
    • Like Like x 1
  13. Astro48

    Astro48 Upcoming Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2015
    Location:
    Tobetsu cho
    Oshimen:
    Marsha
    Twitter:
    polaristune
    AKB48 just surpassed 700k monthly listeners on Spotify, omedetou :1st:
    20230516_095815.jpg

    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
    20230516_095825.jpg

    Also, 3 Indonesian cities are among top 5 cities with most Spotify users listening to AKB48
    20230516_101805.jpg
    Sorry I had to magnify this pic because original pic was too small
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2023
    • Like Like x 2
    • Informative Informative x 1
  14. donjonnie

    donjonnie Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Oshimen:
    Time's up
    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. :fp:
    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 [hehe]
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2023
    • Like Like x 2
    • Informative Informative x 2
  15. bonjourmarlene

    bonjourmarlene Under Girls Wiki48 Editor

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2016
    Location:
    UK-AUT
    Oshimen:
    小林蘭
    Twitter:
    curioushitomi
    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?
     
    • Like Like x 2
  16. Aka

    Aka Under Girls

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2013
    Oshimen:
    Sakaguchi "Tenshi" Nagisa
    By their new units which will be revealed in the shuffle.
     
  17. Reveen

    Reveen Under Girls

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2013
    Location:
    Sunnyvale Trailer Park
    There also used to be the running joke that SKE48 had crappy food compared to the other groups :lol:
     
    • Like Like x 1
  18. xabizalla96

    xabizalla96 Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2022
    Oshimen:
    MD, Love them all
  19. lionel90

    lionel90 Under Girls

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2009
    Twitter:
    Lionel_90
    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.
     
    • Informative Informative x 5
    • Like Like x 4
    • Useful Useful x 1
  20. Aka

    Aka Under Girls

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2013
    Oshimen:
    Sakaguchi "Tenshi" Nagisa
    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.
     

Share This Page