Why do you like AKB48?

^^Thats a really good list! Very strong but it does it without being too in your face haha

 

For now I have to say for the variety of different members and also the relationships between them.

Compared to other idol groups that are portrayed as having internal rivalries between members, it is really heart-warming to see the girls in the group being so supportive of eachother - just watching the reaction of Matsui Rena when Kitarie's concurrent in SKE was revoked even though they have only been together as a team for around 6 months* really showed me that AKB as a whole isn't just an idol group, its like a family of different girls all with the same dream [clap]

* I know that they should known eachother from being in the Senbatsu, I am refering to how she is genuinely saddened by how her concurrent position was just cancelled like that.

 

(I’m a man.) First and foremost I like them because I love them. There is no accounting for taste, no rational words that do justice to an aesthetic preference.

I could say I like them, as others here have, because they are lively, upbeat and cute. But so are the local high-school cheerleaders, and I don’t pay any attention to them. AKB48 is unique, no doubt about that. An amazing expression of genius and entrepreneurial virtuosity by Akimoto. The effortless, blazingly quick fist pumps; the bacchanalian energy; the participatory leaning forward; the skipping around the stage with the nimble amplitude of cartoon characters; the gorgeous life-affirming Gatsby smiles. And I love the happy, retro-pop music, as well as the adventurous etudes into other, and sometimes dark, forms of artistic expression.

I feel the girls are beautifully symbolic of my inner unconscious archetypes. They cross the river Styx for me, permitting me visitation with all my inner passions, from the frivolous to the profane, and let me gently communicate, by virtue of talking about my admiration of the troupe to clueless and disapproving other American adults, that I am not like them and afraid of my shadow. I think the girls excite my god gene, which otherwise stays dormant, because I am agnostic. They frolic with my anima.

They are my favorite entertainment group, ever. Tomo’s my goddess; and I can understand, with some sadness, why it is time for her to move on.

 

They work as a stress relief for me. After a hard day at work it's really relaxing to immerse yourself into the carefree happy go lucky world of AKB48. Of course I know that this world is just a facade, but it doesn't take away the effect.

 

great list!
but i'll replace this with miyazawa sae.
she is known for taking care of juniors.

 

They're inspiring. They don't fail to remind their fans that they're normal people too, and they don't try to make what they do look like it's automatically done for them. They may not be a "perfect" 100% synchronized typical pop group. But they're so much more than that. Each member has a really great individual personality, and each fan finds what amazes them the most in the member that they can call their oshimen. And... it's hard to describe what an oshimen does to you

I love how they have this way of making the fans feel involved through their blogs and Twitter accounts- through handshake events and shows and so much more. When other artists just say "we'd like to thank all our fans," AKB proves their gratitude in many different ways and actions to the point that you can actually feel that they really do mean it too. And, well, you know, the members are so genuine. To both the fans and to fellow members.

Most days I turn to AKB to get away from the typical long days of work and school, and whenever I do, something in what I watch or read or listen to encourages me to work wholeheartedly the next day. They make me happy, plus they're motivating, inspiring, and enlightening.

I really think that there are more perks to being an AKB fan than most other groups

 

Why I like AKB? I didnt like them at first.
I always love rock music and for me Idols are essentially a huge marketing product. I sometimes still think this, or better yet im fully aware of it.

Spoiler

There was a time that i liked some Johnny's groups, my favorits were KAT-TUN and TOKIO. Why? because they have some rockish song.

Same goes for AKB they have some Rockish songs, that are very awsome to listen too.

But when it all started for me it was diffrent.

The story:

Back in like 2006 when i started to watch Tokusatsu and drama's i once encountered a music vid from AKB i dont know what the song was but i knew it was about "bullying". I figured since it was a idol group. I wont care for it that much, though props for tackling topics like bullying.

2007 and 2008 < i was a Johnny's fan... and then i started to listen regular rock again.

2009 Since ive been watching Tokusatsu, that year was a huge change in the Kamen Rider franchise. When Kamen Rider Decade ended with only 30 episodes and around the summer a new season started.
KAMEN RIDER W, Yes the series that gave birth and ended the one shot unit from AKb Queen and Elizabeth.
You could say i became interested in AKB through Itano and Kasai Tomomi.

Ill be honest i was only interested in them because im a guy, who like hot and cute girls. I wasnt a fan of Itano or Kasai. And the music in general still didnt interested me.
But i did like Maeda Atsuko thought she was cute and beautifull and more girls followed (eventualy Itano and Kasai ended up in that batch of girls too)

I kept it like this for almost 4 years until when last year Maeda graduated. She made a last appearance in Gingham Check pv and then my brother started too play Nante Bohemian by the Undergirls...
Still at that point i didnt care for the song either. But when you have a video with a bunch of cute girls singing and dancing where by the end of the PV they are all having fun in a swiming pool... Well if you are guy like me you can't help but wanting too see it over and over again. Eventualy that song grew on me.
And bits by bits i started to listen to them more...

If anyone is wondering now how i never noticed videos like Heavy Rotation and or Ponytail to Shu Shu in those 4 years when i basicly was fascinated by their looks? Well i did, but i hated the pv for Heavy Rotation because all girls a lot of make up on and that wasnt sexy at all.
Ponytail to Shu Shu and Everyday Katyusha were better like i said their songs didnt interested me at all.

But anyway after 2012 comes 2013. Now slightly interested in their music, i thought the single "So Long" was great and So long itself is such a beautifull song. After that i started to learn more about them how they are theater based. How they hold the world record of most girls in one POP group. How they have sister groups, which made me also realise that they have a Indonesian sister group. Im from indonesian ethnicity and i knew about it before hand but back then i didnt care.

Then i started to watch some episodes of AKBINGO made me realise how much fun these girls are.

Now even more interested in their music i came accross their song RIVER. A dance song that seems to have it all. A great melody played by guitar in the background and a nice beat overal. I love that song so much i eventualy started to listen more and more too them.River is the song that got me hooked for real this time and now were in the middle of the year 2013. I can honestly say im a fan cause i do like them despite i have actualy a diffrent taste in music.

However being a fan im a bit critical. Granted not overly critical of them but a tad bit critical.
For example i dont overuse the word "talented". Cause i dont think that these girls are the best singers in the world at al but they dont sound bad and they sound great together.
and honestly there alot of pop artist who do have amazing vocals. often has such a crappy music behind them that it would piss me off.

In that case i prefer AKB overal if it comes to Pop singers.

Reasons why i like AKB?

Spoiler

1.Most AKB songs are POP music. I mean by that they dont sound like those kind of POP music that desperatly wants to be a CLUB song.

2.People who compose their songs are actual musicians. I prefer music that is played by actual instruments and most of AKB songs are in fact played with Instruments. Granted we got songs like Uza and Beginner, and recently How Come by team K(i hate that song). Not all song are played by the girls themself but the musicians who composed their music are realy talented. I think that counts for most Japanese Idols.

3. The girls, i admire them. I respect the fact that some of these girls are realy hardworking. Its easy to say that every artist is hard working. But think about it, they have to record songs, appear on tv, have concerts, hand shakes events, some still goes to school, drama's in which they act, Movie in which they act, stage plays in which they act, and above all of that they still find the time to perform in their own theater...
Granted times has changed where now its easy too rotate the activities. But for some members that is the hard reality.

4.It inspires me to be hardworking my self.

5.I feel like they dont sell out them self internationally. Which is nice, most asian musicians that gets popular does the same thing... Make pop(or any other genre)music that desperatly wants to be a club song.
AKB has those too but not as much, and i dont think thats what most of us fans are looking for. Sugar Rush came too be because DISNEY wanted them not the other way around.

6. Dont take this the wrong way. But i find it quite laughable when certain south asian countries who likes to cash on certain north asian music, by completely copying them... Im like why? Its not like the certain north asian artistgonna give crap about them.
Thats why JKT48 is awsome, they are not copycats but rather at this point a cover sister group. Its like as if Yasushi Akimoto almost said "no you are not copying J-pop... Instead you will become J-pop". Sure dude wants cash on the south asian music scene. But for the girls and their fans its awsome because they basicly can say "we have one of our own"

7. They dont hide the fact that everything around AKB is based on a Buisiness model. Akimoto once said its all buisiness. Even the Japanese fans knows it damn well. One time some japanese fan said regarding the sucses of JKT48 that this business model might work in other south asian countries if JKT is popular.
A fan calls it a "buisiness model", thats quite amazing... Why? with anyother pop musicians, their fans dont acknowledge that a lot of around their whole image its all marketing. Yet ive seen AKB fans who openly say they are fully aware that some stuff might be just marketing...
For me thats a fresh breat of air.

8. Their costumes doesnt piss me off. I hate when some artist are trying show off how fashionable they are... I dont care about that at all. The costumes are realy for the show and thats all that it is.

9. I find it friggen awsome that they dont always like to hang on that cute image... Take any american teen idol. When they star in a tv show, it usualy a show about school and how good of a person they are.
What does AKB do? Makes a show where they likes to fight to see who is the strongest(im talking about Majisuka based on what ive seen so far).

10. When they show in any way of form of how tough they are. Its actualy cool, they dont generate a image that shows how much of a b***h they are.

11.Not every girl is thin... Some of them are chubby and they are in AKB. The west can learn from this.

12. Even if you think that the most popular members cant sing. The management is fully aware of that, thats why they let the best ones have a solo or form a Unit

As for my general music taste. I like rock... Aerosmith, ALL TIME LOW, Linkin Park, Weezer, Train, ONE OK ROCK, Imagine dragons...
I also artist like David Choi, Kina grannis, Dave Days, and AJ rafael.

So you see AKB is quite diffrent for me but i still love them.

 

The girls of AKB48 are hardworking, and most of them I believe(especially those who have stayed with it since 2005) love their work in AKB48. That emphasis on auditioning, selecting girls for talents other than just singing or dancing, and hardwork and, love for their fanbase drew me in. The first I knew of them was AKB0048, saw it and got interested so I then saw a youtube video of a Heavy Rotation concert performance, was blown away with that two summers ago in 2011(its still my favorite song). That said their songs have me hooked, and recently Sayornara Crawl just reminded me of how much I love them. I find the majority of their songs to be upbeat, not just the playing by the musicians who do the music for them(or in the case of Give Me Five! and what not, the girls themselves in regards to the music played), but also the girls' singing and dancing. I enjoy the fact that one may not be the best at dancing, but have an amazing voice, or an awesome MC talent to begin with, and that they pull their strengths together on stage, in concert, and in public venues. They are idols who are being given an opportunity to learn and grow, let it be as singers, actresses, hosts for TV shows, public speakers, etc. I find that to be brilliant and excellent. And yes of course as a guy, I find some of them hot and sexy cute and adorable let it be in a swimsuit or school uniform or casual clothes. I am a guy and like the girls; can't believe it when people will try and say that is not a worthwhile reason for liking them. Despite the rambling I put forth here, I think that somewhat narrows down why I like AKB48.

 

I will give you Katayama Haruka, the mother of Team B lol just read back to the original list, that was quite interesting!

 

at first they're my guilty pleasure, it was like i only listen to them when i'm alone but now..
i began to be addicted by they're music and face it the members are cute and just unbelievably awesome in so many ways.. second is after knowing their history and what they struggle to achieve what they have now, i began to have a LOT and i mean immensely a LOT of respect towards them

that's why i like...no...LOVE AKB48

 

Mostly I really find them enjoyable as a media entity. I don't think there's anything wrong with their music, but I don't find it that exciting either, so I'm more into them for their TV appearances. I saw Mariko and Yuko on a late night talk show when I was in Japan and they were both so funny and at ease in front of the camera, and I think that's something a lot of the older Senbatsu members have in common. Most Japanese idols are pretty boring and wooden on TV in all honesty. I'm sure that they are probably nice and interesting people in person, but I think AKB are a lot better at actually getting their personality across to their fans. And I like the fact that lots of the members have a public persona that's a lot more honest and interesting than is normal in the Japanese pop industry, like Mocchi's obsession with that pro-wrestler, Kitarie's amazing but useless talents, Takamina's aura of fail or Yuko's jokes.

I also really respect their attitude. They all seem to work incredibly hard, all year long, but always give it everything on stage or on TV and put their fan's enjoyment first. So I really engage with their personality's, but I'm also kind of in awe of them as well.

 

Because of their:
1. Variety shows - The main reason why I got into this.
2. Characters/Personalities - The reason why I delved deeper into the 48G and to each of its members.
3. Music/PV/Performances - After each episodes of AKBINGO, this comes into play. How can I not get hooked to it?

 

main reason: Music. especially their sakura and ballad songs

plus, the girl. it is fun to see your oshimen improve day by day with their talent. seems like you watch your little sister or daughter in their young days

 

For me, what makes AKB great is from their fan-chant lol (this is the first thought about being an AKB wota ; chanting all music long smh). But then, after i fell into the fandom, i started to like most of the girls, i realized that they're cute at the time, and fan-chant isn't important anymore lol

 

They are my motivator. For real!

 

1) Just fun, happy songs.

2) The girls. There is just this cuteness and innocence about them. It's really refreshing. The mix of personalities with groups that large, there truly is "something for everyone".

3) The TV shows ("AKBingo!" and "HKT48 no Odekake" in particular). Far more entertaining than the crap that's on American TV.

4) The stage shows seem phenomenal. I've only seen them from Internet video and DVD's like "Show Must Go On" and "No Flower without Rain". I can only imagine seeing them live. And on the flip-side. The theater performances (thanks to Live on Demand now) seem just as entertaining while being far more intimate.

I leave it at that because I could ramble on for pages..

 

1. Music
2. The girls
3. They have their own "theather", and that means you can see them almost everyday live in teather or maybe just watching LOD's

that's basically why i love them

 

I like their personalities first and foremost, it adds to the enjoyment of the music and with being a fan, because you support members who are working hard to improve and try their best. They give fans inspiration, motivation, and are easily identifiable people. They recognize their fans and show up for handshakes and other events where fans give support. Some members have amazing friendships, others might be on the outside but are able to showcase their passions through performance just like everyone else, and in this way all the members come together as one on the stage, showcasing their diversity while overcoming differences. And through meeting fans and doing live stage performances, they not only follow their dreams, but can become better people by getting in touch with so many others.

Maybe it's not ideally like this all the time, but AKB at it's best is an amazing experience. The group goes through it's ups and downs also, which makes them even more interesting as they have challenges to always face and overcome to get to where they are. There is the entertainment aspect of AKB, but the hardships reveal that many of these girls find out through their dedication what is most important, what they are trying to find out for themselves. As a fan, to see how some members change and leave AKB, can be revealing and understandable for everyone as a shared experience.

 

I actually love the music and that's what got me here in the first place. Other than that I love the huge amount of members, you're never bored! And I feel like they're all fighting to reach their dreams. They inspire me a lot.

 

I'm going to move over to this thread from the similar one I started called, "What makes AKB48 Great." I think most people intuitively realize that nothing exists beyond perception, so it isn't an objective "it" hanging out in the universe apart from people that makes AKB48 resonate, it is a personal interaction and identification with the troupe. So "why do you like AKB48" is more on point.

Another unique and delightful aspect is the turnover in AKB48: Death and renewal, or rebirth, is a fundamental archetype of the collective unconscious mind and humans unconsciously relate to the idea positively, creating numinosity, or magic. Maturing women graduate, while fresh new girls are brought in.

I love a couple of early Cheeky Parade performances (linked below) as much as my favorite AKB48 performances. But when I go to more recent videos of the same songs, and the Cheeky girls are older, they are not as good, in my opinion, so the troupe itself does not have the archetypal appeal and staying power of AKB48. The copycat troupes are unfortunately diluting some of AKB's magic, though, I think.

Regarding this Cheeky performance, the very young girls (I believe the one in the brown bob is eleven) jump like monkeys and are so alive. They are also very practiced, professional and accomplished, especially for adolescents. One thing in particular is the best and most exciting bit I have seen yet in a J-pop performance (although I believe the more apt term for these girls is J-lollipop). They affect a musical climax when they begin to cartwheel, eliciting gasps from the enthusiastic audience. They build up to the climax with their quarter rotating – both clockwise and counter clockwise – moves, and then come down from it with a single, residual cartwheel. The short sequence is absolutely genius, and magical.

In the more recent performances of the same Cheeky Dreamer song, the cartwheels are eliminated, maybe because the older girls are too tall to do them as easily. They also lost the surprise element, which causes delight, after doing them many times. Maybe that's more why they were eliminated.

I have mentioned before that the punching moves from orthodox boxing is part of the magic of AKB48, which was borrowed by Cheeky Parade. It is a nod toward aggressive masculinity, and juxtaposed against the very feminine beauty and qualities of the young girls. AKB carried this far with the Majisuka narratives. Again, relating this aspect to psychic archetypes (and I apologize for constantly referring to this dynamic, when the appreciation of such relationships is pretty much unique to me and my studying of Jungian psychology), I think the embedding of the masculine element within the feminine is one of the most powerful artistic and aesthetic mechanisms, which harks back to Akimoto's genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8QrHdzxoRA