What should the minimum age for members be?

If ask me, i are wery skepticall at it (Sakura Gakuin) future. Members wasnt so good/ them should change ages...
Is worked because there was so potintential members, but them left to big holes.

I was begind think 11-12?
but then: no age to "rock". But that like 11-12... ealier if can?

 

14.

Zero interest on watching little girls singing and dancing.

 

I think it's fine for them to start between 11 and 12 without "pushing" things. They can manage the timetable at school and the practice in theater can be just like after school activities. If they start slowly at that age, they will have 3 or 2 years to get used to the idol's life with the older sisters' protection and direction until they're 14 or 15. 14 or 15 is the best time to start the real idol's life. Carzy fans will just focus on the big STARS, and the good fans will also take care of them as brothers, fathers... The matter is not about the age they start, that's about how the older members and managements who are around them will take care of them. Don't just throw them into the showbis world with huge push and let them face all those hatin/anti experiences at such that young age which can let to mental problems for not little girls but anyone.

Jurina is absolutely an exception in this world. And I don't want to see any kids will have to face the bad time little Jurina has been through.

 

As long as the girl is good enough at singing or dancing, and the target of the song/performance is in accordance with her age I don't see a real problem.

 

13.

 

I think joining at 11 is ok, but the girls shouldn't get spotlight until they're 13 or so. Seeing girls like meru and nako when they debuted is kinda awkward, looking back at it. I also think it might have to do with me getting older though. I mean I followed c-ute back when massara blue jeans came out and I didn't think twice about how old they were cause I was only 15

 

No minimum ,as there is no issue if they were able to do well in their study. In advance they can get more experience in this activities and opportunities such as meeting all kinds of ppl, variety shows ,acting ,modeling and etcs.

 

I put it like how I would do with my own daughter, that will turn 12 this summer. I have trained her since she was a baby. And I have confidence in her ability to perform. So if those girls think that they could juggle both school and music let them try. Life is about trying your best in whatever you do. Succeed or Fail they went for it. And that will give the girls that young a good starting point in life.

 

I think starting young is fine, provided they don't get strongly pushed straight away. NakoMiku is about my limit - I'm just about okay with their push because the older girls especially Sasshi very much protect them, surround them on TV shows, and generally look after them. Jurina had slightly less of that as she was center straight away and was an outsider, so for me that was a bit much. Moekyun for example though is 13 nearly 14, and at the moment she's fine - she's been near the back of a few B sides and centered a couple of songs at the Dareka no tame ni theater show, but that's the extent of her push so far. She has really improved, and so give her another year or so and she'll be 15, prime age, with 2 and a half years experience.

My main pro for starting young is that most of the girls spend a year or two as KKS now. So, by the time they are promoted they are no longer 12, so it works fine. This is their plan for the next draft after all.

My main worry for idols starting young is not actually the level of work, commitment, ability to make decisions at that age or anything like that. My worry is the fans. 755, Google+, Twitter, handshakes... There are a lot of opportunities for some anti to say they hate x member and the member to see it. That is bad enough at age 20/21, let alone 15/16, and as for a poor 11/12 year old kid seeing that, it's really not good. How must the tiny drafties feel, reading the comments about themselves on their youtube videos? This type of thing is a different kind of difficult to the actual dancing and performing.

Overall I think I am okay with young members provided they have good senpai and a supportive family around them and are kept a bit sheltered at the beginning.

The skimpy costumes aspect is another issue, but I have issues with that for the 17/18 year olds, so I won't go into that now!

 

No option for "None of the previous ones"? Japanese society is different, cannot judge it with western standards. So, no limit for me.

 

What do you mean by skimpy outfits? If you're referring to the short skirts, those are a normal part of Japanese fashion. You can probably simply type in "Japanese fashion" into google images and you'll see what I mean. It also doesn't seem to have anything to do with age. I don't know if short skirts and dresses are really not as sexually suggestive in Japan like they say, but I know that you can see them very often and no one seems to think that the girl wearing them is dressed slutty or inappropriately for her age.

It's not something men make them wear, girls consider it cute and fashionable and since idols are supposed to be girls everyone looks up to, of course they're going to dress according to local fashion. I'm not justifying anything, I just see westerners, especially malicious media, criticise them for their short skirts all the time, when it's very similar to what normal girls their age like to wear. But it's understandable, in most other places you don't even consider wearing something like that, cause you're guaranteed to get creepy looks if not cat calls, even with things that are less provocative.

Now, you do have the more "sexy" songs like for example Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate or Yuuwaku no Garter where the costumes are accordingly made to be more sexy, but I'm sure they never have and never will let 12 year olds perform a song like that.

 

Spoiler: Slightly off topic now...

Okay, so it looks like I will go into that topic a little bit. You're quite right that short skirts look different to me, because, well, round here nobody would wear that. But, round here people wear far more low cut tops and nobody thinks it's weird, so fair enough.

It's not just the outfits though. Just off the top of my head, Skirt no hirari, Dear my teacher, Seifuku no jama wo suru, Innocence...Those are just the ones that come to mind immediately, you know there are plenty more. Team K has had two twelve year olds singing Dokugumo. It's the outfits coupled with the lyrics and the style of dancing. So, perhaps I shouldn't have said skimpy costumes, because the costumes are a relatively small part of it.

Honestly, I'm a bit conflicted about it myself. Some days I manage to square it all in my head, other days I think it's all terrible (and yet strangely addictive!). It's difficult and I can't decide completely.

 

I don't think it's that off topic, since the costumes they wear and the content of their songs is something to be considered when talking about a minimum age for members. I think that was actually the idea behind this thread and not so much whether the girls are old enough to make certain decisions and the workload.

The costumes for the songs you mentioned aren't any different from those of other more innocent songs, but the lyrics can sometimes be a bit disturbing, even if it's nothing that most teenagers don't think or fantasise about. I've said it before in another thread, I wish they'd consider their age when choosing the line up for songs like that. They already do, like with the example I mentioned in my previous post, but there are still exceptions like when the whole team is performing. Maybe there should be a clear age minimum to be allowed to perform those. If some of the younger girls can leave late night shows earlier, they can also leave the stage during certain performances.

 

Seeing some started with 11 or 12 and did fine, I have no problem with it. In other fields (ie. acting) or groups they start even sooner. These are artists, not child labor.

For my surprise I've seen dudes wanting:
- Minimum age 18
- No renai kinshi
- Few members
(and other "brilliant" ideas such as ending sousenkyo, stages, handshakes, senbatsu and other "reforms")

I have to tell this type of person that perhaps you didn't grasp this AKB48 thing very well. There are other groups out there more suitable to what you want.

 

What does "renai kinshi" mean?

 

It's 恋愛禁止 aka love ban or no dating rule.
This post here gives an extended explanation on it.

 

I think it is fine the way it is. I have no problem with a girl joining Akb at age 11. They are a group of artists, its not porn...

I think it is strange how people in the west talks about how the girls are used and overly sexualized... especially from people in the US where they have beauty contests for toddlers...

And this about that they have to work so hard so young, its true but I think it is the same with any young athlete.

The issue of antis however is troubleing, however again young athletes and other young artists also have to face antis, if not in the same way...

 

I'd say around 15. I don't have a problem with younger members themselves, but you have to remember being an idol is hard. All that combined with normal everyday stresses would be tough on somebody under that age. I'm not saying anyone younger than 15 wouldn't be able to manage it, but at the very least 12. Let them get to middle school first man, they shouldn't be working any younger than that XD

These new members are adorable, but I'm a little worried. I mean, NakoMiku were considered really young and now we've got these record-breakers coming in. As research students, yeah, as full members, nuh-uh.

 

junior high graduate age, whatever that is,
their lyrics are all about youth and having a crush on a boy, at least let them experience it naturally ... the having a crush thing
i felt bad for them squealing over some danso of their own friends

 

I think half of the problem was the fact that it was about the draft. Its fine if a 11 year old who is mature enough auditions for a regular kks spot IMO, however I feel like the draft and the stress it brings with it could be harsh on an 11 year old. Especially because if you don't make it in, it is broadcasted nationwide for everyone to see it. I think the draft is harsh in general even for the older girls. (Personally I think the pool of girls should have been smaller but that's another issue)

Otherwise, I think its fine to have it be the way it is now (10/11 is the minimum to audition I think) Girls from a young age in Japan are fed the romanticized version of being an "idol". For example, watch any episode of franchises like Aikatsu and Pripara, which are meant for girls as young as 5 or 6. If AKB won't let them audition, they'll join some other group. The "ideal" age to enter an idol continues to be lowered ever since the 80s idol boom. In fact, elementary school idol groups, known as JS or Joshi Shogakusei (elementary school girls) continue to be on the rise. I think I draw the line at whats morally right and whats morally wrong by how they are managed by their agency and their parents. Kids are going to consider being an idol fun and not really stress about it. If the idol activities are treated as an extra curricular activity by the parents, then I don't think there is anything wrong with it. The problem is some parents love to live their life through their child and the moment they start stressing their kid out is where I draw the line. As long as it stays a fun way for a kid to spend their free time because they have a passion for singing or dancing, then I don't see a problem with having young kids be an idol.