What SKE48 needs to reach AKB48 level?

Since 2008 SKE48 is growing in each day, & they became a very strong group & well known to the public fans all around Japan, Asia & rest of the world, they have a very strong members in terms of talent, popularity & looks.

They have a high level songs or you can say Kami songs, specially in their stages, Team-S & KII did one of the top stages “Te wo tsunaginagara”, & for me it is the best stage in the 48 family.

But yet they are still far from AKB48, & not just that even the new group NMB48 seems like they are gonna catch up to them, & if NMB continuing in this pace, soon they will gonna take the 2nd best 48 group spot from SKE.

Maybe because SKE48 is treated as the shadow of AKB48 in their TV Shows, & dramas, & NMB feels like an independent group from AKB48.

SKE48 was the target of bashing from AKB48 fans at the beginning, & Matsui Jurina is the most targeted since Oogoe Diamond, & I can’t deny the fact that when I became an AKB48 fan, I was annoyed by the presence of Jurina in AKB48, & didn’t even to try to listen or watch anything related to SKE48, because I felt like they are AKB48’s enemy [notme] , & they are taking the spotlight from AKB members, BUT day after day, I became one of Jurina’s & SKE48 fans.

Maybe because in the public fans eyes SKE48 are summed up in Rena & Jurina, though SKE have a great members from team S, KII & E, & even from their KKS, so I think the managers must try to promote the members with the high potential to bring them to the top level, & in the next elections there must be more than WMatsui in AKB48 senbatsu.

These are my random ideas [think] , & I don’t know if I’m right or wrong, but I’m asking what SKE48 need or lack to be like or even better than AKB48.?? Like Matsui Jurina’s goal. [rock]

 

For AkiP to actually care about SKE48. SKE48 is the most ignored group ever. Pythagoras really couldn't do anything to promote SKE back then so I think the move to AKS sort of got them in a position to get the ball rolling now.

What SKE48 needs? Fans. It is hard to compete location-wise too since Nagoya is halfway Osaka and Tokyo which means they'll be sharing left and right with her sisters.

But right now, what they need is to regroup, fill the empty spots with members. Give them S4 and E3 and maybe a 'message' single that is similar to River/Beginner in order to just drop the 'fun' image SKE48 has.

But I think in the grand scheme of things by AkiP, SKE48 is well underway to reach AKB48's level. They've been owning throughout this year and it sort of feels like this is their year.

 

^
^
I thought you were talking about HKT48
That group is more unknown than SKE.

SKE48 has already made inroads into AKB so it's not like the group is a mystery which also applies to NMB48.
Both groups need more management push and more publicity.
Fans know them but remember where the groups are located... Tokyo is AKB's home turf!
Eventually, SKE (& NMB) should/will gain more awareness to the general public.

 

They need AKB to disappear first, which is unlikely. For as long there's a group with the same concept and song style they'll always be compared and rate as the lesser of the two.

Its like a child protégé being compared to a genius father. They need to reinvent themselves if they wish to conquer!

 

I think SKE48 are increasing in popularity really rapidly.

All the problems with it I think can be applied to the other groups as well, so none are specific to SKE.

However, I think this is true:

For many fans of AKB, there is no need for SKE, and the pushing of SKE members/songs into AKB concerts can both push and pull those fans away, as stated by Shamurai48

 

The reason why NMB is catching SKE so fast because they representing Kansai area.

In Kansai area, the TV channel are not the same. Kanto area have Fuji TV, KBS, NTV, TV Asahi but in Kansai they have KTV, MBS, YTV, ABC which is share some major program from Kanto area but not all.

The only AKB show that air in Kansai area is AKB to XX. We didn't got the rest like AKBINGO and so on, instead, we got all the NMB shows.

I live in Kyoto and I see so many NMB around the town. There position are pretty much like Kansai version of AKB.

SKE, however, has to share a slot of program, cm with AKB and will always be AKB sister group that has WMatsui as the lead.

However, I think that SKE will be big. They got so much works lately. Member likes Kuumin, Yuria, Kanon all got more and more expose to the public. (Majisuka 3)

Still, they will never reach AKB lever. neither other 48 groups I must says...

 

The topic comes once in a while in Japan fan discussion forums and it is a never-ending hot topic for SKE fans.

There are always a few points that come up very often in those discussions:

- SKE do not have nationwide exposure on media like AKB. The Nagoya TV network is quite restricted. While "Magic Radio" is aired in Kanto region, SKE's variety show "S-jo" is only broadcast in Nagoya region. And while AKB has a bunch of AKB-dedicated shows (Shukan, AKbingo, Ariyoshi Kyowakoku) as well as appearance in mainstream shows, either as group (Kayoukyoku) or individuals (Pon!), SKE do not enjoy this.

- SKE benefits only by its graft to AKB when J and R appear with AKB in various shows (like the recent Hey Hey Hey special) but as a team the usual fans do not have that much access to what other members do. It took me quite a bit of time to get to know about other members of SKE but then I kind of pushed myself to learn more about them. In the case of a more casual fan, their knowledge about SKE may be stuck at only J and R, which can be a real risk as too much depends on just 2 members.

- Somehow SKE never seems to go far in terms of finding CM sponsor. I heard that they do not get that many TV CM, collaboration campaign deal, or poster/magazine ad deals even in Nagoya region. This restricts the intake of new fans and growth of fan base.

- SKE is also slow in signing up members to agencies away from AKS. This can be a limit to what exposure individual members can do. For one, we never get to see any sub-unit from SKE releasing singles.

- While SKE gained a deserved reputation of having the most vigorous and skilful performance in theater, the chance to see it is really low. The theater is not fully dedicated to SKE and sometimes it can even close to SKE because it is used for other function. It is infamous for being small and cramped. The SKE official shop in Nagoya looks just like a temporary shop converted from a blind alley space. Although there has been talk of a permanent theater for some time no one is really sure when it will happen.

Yet despite all these disadvantages, SKE managed to rise up to gain so many members in good positions in this year's sousenkyo, which is both surprising and encouraging. Fans now talk about how SKE can go further (and leaving the younger generation of AKB behind) but the reality still remains that SKE has been in existence for much longer than those young generation of AKB and yet those AKB members get a lot more push and exposure than most of SKE.

It is thus a really encouraging news to hear that Majisuka3 will feature as many from SKE as from AKB's team4 because that drama at least has wide circulation and has proved a launching pad for many senbatsu members in drawing attention. I may prefer more SKE members to feature in it (the recent talk among fans is how Churi again publicly pleaded with Aki-P - this time for a role in M3) but I guess we have to be contented with sharing the exposure opportunity with Team4. I just hope that more media exposure opportunity (and CM opportunity) will come SKE's way in the near future.

 

Well at the least you need the high senbatsu members to disappear and for the ske core group to remain. The ske front girls are much better than the lower ranked akb girls and all the new members except perhaps for paruru. It can be like berryz to the current mm.

 

Which level of AKB48?

What are you asking?

Sales?
Popularity?
Profitability?
Quality?
Quality in what?
Dane?
Singing?
Acting?

The tenth top selling song last year was an SKE48 song.

While SKE48 is distinct from AKB48, they are too similar to have the same or higher sales, popularity, or profitability as AKB48. It would take a meteor hitting Tokyo and AKB48 not reforming to give any 48 group a chance to surpass AKB48 in these three measures.

As to the others, the two best 48 actresses, Matsui Rena and Kimoto Kanon, come from SKE48.


Ok, I take it back.

Eight years from now, Matsui Jurina is 23 and the elected center of AKB48. She does lots of performances with AKB48 as AKB48 is still the flagship group, but she remains a member of SKE48 and people know this. Kimoto Kanon is 22, other junior SKE48 members have ridden their coattails. The Kami 7 is majority SKE48.

In this situation, it is possible SKE48 singles would sell just as well as AKB48 singles.

But, in eight years time the economy may have shifted so much that profits become impossible, even with clever work by folks like Akimoto. Capitalism would then be on the verge of collapse as production without exploitation would be more efficient than capitalist wage slavery. Commodities would cease to exist, except the strange new commodity of being able to meet your favorite idol... Where will this go....?

 

if you talk about sales, first you had to know why AKB48 can sell million.
And you will know why SKE won't sell million, or what they really need for selling million.

Simple math, AKB48 = A + K + B + 4 + KKS + SKE48 + NMB48 + HKT48, so AKB48 > SKE48 as long as they adapted the same sale strategy and the realistic numbers of HS events.

And as long as they don't have a "breakthrough song" for "general audience", they won't be better than a sister group of "AKB48".

 

I think until SKE48 gets a proper Sakura single lol.

SKE48 is too energetic for their own good and it would be nice for them to have a serious message single (no not Kataomi Finally).

The stuff they releasing nowadays I like so i'm not really concerned of their popularity. It seems that they are growing in sales and interest (looking at Oricon and Sousenkyo) and nearly beating even Arashi. So what more is to ask? They are the #2 girl group at the moment. This is until SKE48 gathers enough momentum to match AKB48 but likely can't beat them.


Throw NMB48 in this mix, their growth is interesting.

 

Novelty. I really wish Akimoto at least tried to make other idol group outside of the AKB48 domain. Even Nogizaka46 is just an off-shoot from AKB48, and exist solely to give more attention to AKB48.

 

^
Thats what I feel about Nogizaka46.

Hopefully he'll incorporate them as a actual 48 group seeming their only purpose is rivalry won't go anywhere much. That unless he plans to make an arsenal of 46 groups with sousenkyos and janken aahahahaha....knock on wood.

I think being in the 48 gang is much better than 46 at this moment. Akip can easily slash out 46 to concentrate on 48's project. And like you said, they are just being used as tools to give AKB48 more attention and boost interest in certain release dates for example AKB48's Sashihara Rino vs. Nogizaka46. They made so much media attention about that.

I'm sure Nogizaka46 have been discussed in detail in another thread. But i'm always adamant of them turning to a 48 for general growth and fan interest. I'm assuming this should happen by next year to make the sousenkyo and janken more interesting.


This comes to another question, would separating a growing group like SKE48 generate more growth? I'm sure it would...like for starters their own sousenkyo and hell they got their own label away from Sony. They seem the most able to do so at this point. Vision wise, i'd like to see two 48's being rivals. Like AKB48 and SKE48. And it won't be soon before long SKE48 will start dishing out sub-units. *cross fingers for Yukiko


Wow..I actually made a pretty legit post.

 

This year SKE48 dominated the under girls.

In eight years time, if they come to dominate the senbatsu, with Matsui Jurina in center, only then will they have the chance to overtake AKB48 in sales and popularity.

Such a thing is not likely.

 

QQ and maybe OT: I have not heard any new single announcement. Per AKB48 world calendar, they should be releasing the 2nd week of August right as all the other weeks are already occupied.

 

Nah, what they need is a few more people to gain popularity alongside R and J. And they are well on their way.

 

what SKE need is "Time".. AKB48 need to regenerate so 48 younger generations could make it, well its a good news that many of SKE member are in under girls and duo matsui in senbatsu.. they could make it imo

 

^
^
i'm agree with my amoya, only waiting for the right time, SKE48 will become famous like AKB48 ... in my opinion very good and interesting SKE48 same thing as akb48. IMO

 

transfer yukirin to team E
then sing tonari no banana together with kanon

 

i know it sounds easy, but AKB got famous for 2 real reasons. Catchy songs and PV's with the girls in bikinis.
Theyve had a couple of catchy songs, but their PV's arent nearly as.. popular