Don't you think that AKB48 (and its sister groups and sub-units) is one of the most, if not the most, complex and complicated musical / entertainment acts ever ? I mean, in terms of not only the number and variety of songs they have, but also their dramas and variety shows that they act and participate in. In addition, there is plenty of trivia and fun facts about its members, such as how hot and spicy is often associated with Rena Matsui, and how the words "Welcome back" is often said to KojiHaru. And the word "poet " seems quite popular and appears in a number of songs, such as NO NAME's "Kibou ni tsuite", and SKE48's "I cannot become a poet who speaks about love". Then there are the senbatsu, janken, and handshake events, as well as seasonal songs such as sakura themed songs at the beginning of the year, followed by summer songs, etc. A new fan or outsider would find it perhaps much more complicated and challenging to get to know and understand the 48 family, as compared with other musical or idol groups. I mean I have been a fan for a while now, but I am still discovering things about them and wracking my mind thinking through what i already know
I wouldn't say complex as much as vast. There's not much to "get" you just have to be willing to sit / sort through a lot. 00 (fictional as it may) strikes me more of what I'd describe as 'complex'.
I would not use the word complex to describe AKB48. There's a lot of people involved but that's only complex to those who have to organize them. If you want to compare AKB48 to every musical/entertainment act ever I think you need to expand your knowledge of other musical/entertainment acts, because while AKB48 is entertaining, the world is a big place full of lots of people who have dedicated their lives to music or entertainment.
I understand why you used the word "complex", but maybe it's rather the fact that AKB48 is so "simple" yet so efficient. If you look at other musical acts in japan or the world even, they all have the same general idea, butn Aki-P takes it a few steps ahead. [shock] Unlike other acts, they actually involve the fans in the group's development, like the election, which is crazy smart considering the possibilities of what you could do with that involvement. The rotating team system, the captains, events, everything kinda just ties in to what the next generation of groups could look like [rock] All I know is that the very concept of AKB is so cleaver and effective, which is why they're as famous as they are today and their popularity is currently matched by no one at their level in Japan.
For me, I would say it is complex. I have never seen nor encountered such a complex and large group before. It is similar to broadway type of theatre where you have daily/weekly performances and the members performing rotates in and out. 48 groups is more know for their vastness (as in I can only recognize few members faces and remember which teams their in), there's a big learning curve for beginners but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty simple. Every year it's more or less the same things (sakura songs, requesthour, summer songs, election, janken, senbatsu single, janken single). The complexity comes from the management mostly, such as on how they rotate the teams and who they decide to push.
i wouldn't say that it's "complex" it's as more something that you'll have to take time and to study it a bit because of you have to know more about the members , the events *the election and the janken single event* but for me it intrigues me to know more about them , even until now i still now a bit about them but it's just so interesting to know about the 48G so yeah for me the right word for me it's not "complex" it's "interesting" musical acts EVER [party]
Dunno about complex per se, but there is a lot of backstory since the group has been around since 2005. So for a new fan joining, there's a LOT of history that feeds into the current group and its operations, and how the fans react and participate has evolved a lot since the beginning. If you have followed AKB since the start and watched old AKBINGO episodes, there's absolutely nothing complex about the group. If the group is too complicated to follow something is not right, especially for an idol group. You shouldn't need to think it through that much, but (myself having gained an interest towards late-2011) for a new fan I can see how it can be overwhelming with just the sheer massive scale of history in the 7 short years its been in existence, girls come and gone etc. Some in-jokes and historical references are inevitable though.
Just looking at all the backstage footage for how they were able to pull off the Tokyo Dome Concert... I would tend to agree. There are just so many variables and moving parts... like a giant clockwork; IMO it is pretty amazing. And that's just one concert... multiply that by a thousand and you can understand how complex the whole thing must be to run day in and day out. I've been a fan for only a few months and there is just so much information to absorb. Like... I pretty much know all the more popular members of AKB48 & HKT48 and have a general gauge of their distinctive personalities now, but when I think about NMB48 and SKE48... it is just too intimidating to try and learn about them as well. The kinda sad thing is their are random moments that truly reveal someone's personality (like on a variety show or short guest appearance on a local tv show, etc.) and unless you have been a fan since the beginning and watched everything as it first aired you will probably miss out on some of those key moments.
I would say complex with respect to the deep and therefore somewhat hidden to us aspects we feel by virtue of the troupe appealing to our unconscious psyches as well as to our conscious appreciation. Proof that the music and visuals resonate in our unconscious minds is the numinosity (spiritually elevated, sublime, sometimes supernatural) we feel when listening to and viewing the troupe. Numinosity comes from the inexpressible inner feelings we get which speak to truth.
