AKB48 is the girl group that has risen up and took Japan by storm. As a Hello!Project fan, I wanted to look into the grop’s history instead of disliking them for succeeding Morning Musume. To make it short, I wanted to talk about a few things.
I found out about the group in 2007, no clue how but I didn’t pay much attention because:
1) They had too many members that it gave me a headache
2) I’ve always thought their style was very cutesy J-Pop. At least Morning Musume changed it around with songs like Osaka Koi No Uta or Kanashimi Twilight etc.
The only song that I have liked from them is Skirt, Hirari (スカート、ひらり). I have no clue why but it just does. I think Aitakatta (会いたかった) is okay though.
Through my research into the group’s history, what I wanted to know was: how did they succeed Morning Musume? RIVER is the answer. Even though their single, 10 Nen Zakura (10年桜) sold over 100,000 copies, RIVER seems to be the song that I has got them to be more popular. I know before I went to Japan in the summer of 2009, the song wasn’t released and I really can’t recall AKB48′s popularity then but I guess they must be very well-known. After RIVER, the group seem to go uphill. But what gets me is how do AKB48 fans tell 48+ girls apart? I’ve heard there’s more than 48. And not only that, the company has other groups with around 48 members such as SKE48, SDN48 and even a rival group, Nogizaka48 which is why I just can’t understand the point of having so many members – or even be a fan of their company groups.
What also surprises me is this that I found out on Wiki:
Another concept, first put into action in 2009, is general elections in which fans vote to determine the members who will participate in the recording of AKB48′s next single. In the last election, held in June–July 2011, where over a million votes were cast, 40 girls were chosen out of 152 members in AKB48, SKE48, SDN48, and NMB48. In 2010, a new and inventive selection method appeared: the girls competed against each other in a rock-paper-scissors tournament for being on a single. The second tournament will take place on September 20, 2011.
In conclusion and to make this rant have a point, AKB48 isn’t a group for me. Even though they are the most successful girl group in Japan and it would seem like I would like them a lot, their songs and excessive amount of members is too much for my head to take in.I would prefer Hello!Project despite the continous downfall of songs since 2008. Tokyo Girl’s Style’s song 鼓動の秘密 (Kodo no Himitsu) interests me so maybe they will have more songs like that. Morning Musume, no Hello!Project doesn’t have that many members compared to AKB48 when you count the members who have left, joined and from my understanding, more girls are to come.
These days, I’ve been getting less out of mainstream music in the Eastern world so AKB48 don’t appeal to me.
Feel like I’m repeating something.
I really appreciate that you’re trying to understand AKB48 as an H!P fan. However, since I feel the same (too big to get to know any girls/don’t like the music), I’ve also given up on trying to get into AKB48. Incidentally, my favourite AKB48 members (if you can count them as favourites) are Kashiwagi Yuki and Yamada Nana (NMB48), because they were both related to H!P.
What a strange, strange reason to prefer certain members.