Why AKB48 didn't exceed K-POP trainees

Where does the difference between Korean and Japanese girl groups come from?  

Why AKB48 didn't exceed K-POP trainees

The Japanese girl group represented by AKB48 is thorough 'water-to-water'. Because of the size of the market in your country. With a population of over 100 million, consumption of albums, goods, etc. supports the market. 

AKB48 was very popular in Japan because it was a "customized girl group for the water market". Their concept is "Idol to meet" and "Idol to watch the growth in close-up" 

#But what's ABK48, what's HKT48?

"AKB48, which 会 idols you can meet, has created sister groups in each region. For example, HKT48, home to Miyawaki Sakura, is a sister group of AKB48 that operates in the Kyushu region, mainly in Fukuoka. HKT means Hakata, the western part of Fukuoka. Matsui Jurina's SKE48, which came first in this year's AKB48 general election, is based in Nagoya. SKE refers to Sakae, a downtown area in Nagoya. In this way, NMB48 is active in Osaka (Namba), NGT48 is in Niigata, and STU48 is active in the Seto Sea region. Typically, AKB48 refers to the whole of them."

AKB48 and sister groups in each of Japan's major strongholds

AKB48 and sister groups in each of Japan's major strongholds

Yasushi Yakimoto, the producer of AKB48, emphasizes that it is completely different from the K-POP style.  

"I highly value the perfect preparation for the Hanyu Girl Group to be on stage. I applaud my professionality as an entertainer to give beauty and fans the best prices. However, AKB48 approaches it differently from the Hanyu. Jericho is young, but you can watch him grow and develop every day from the sidelines. AKB48 is not a finished product. However, it is the charm of AKB48 that it changes every day without stopping under the attention and support of fans." (Monthly Central September 2014 issue of "The World of Japanese Girl Groups That Don't Get Entered by KoreanYu")

 

Why AKB48 didn't exceed K-POP trainees

AKB48

It's about trying to overcome the lack of work, friendships, and conflicts between members, and fandom for each member in huge storytelling called AKB48. 

Therefore, in AKB48, you can't sing, and there's a miracle that a member who looks less than my girlfriend goes into the top 16. And people are crazy about these results. It's like a reaction when South Korea, ranked 56th in the FIFA rankings, takes on No.1 Germany.  

The event that maximizes these characteristics is the general election of AKB48. With hundreds of people, AKB48 held elections every year to select members from 1st to 16th place in the poll to become the main team. It's so famous that it will make the general election a disaster. 

In fact, the average viewership of AKB48's fifth general election broadcast aired by HujiTV in 2013 was 20.3% and the moment's highest hearing rate was 32.7%.

 

However, this equation of success is bound to be difficult to understand outside of Japan.  

You can't watch the growth process up close, and you can't even participate in the AKB48 general election. First and foremost, it's not easy to accept members who aren't very good at singing or dancing as idols.

 

Korean Girl Group, on the other hand, is a kind of "export type" girl group.  

Because the market is smaller and has weaker fandom than boy groups, survival is not enough if you don't turn your eyes abroad.  

According to cultural experts, the population must be more than 100 million people to last in the water market alone, and South Korea has only 52 million people, half that level. The Korean market is even known for its difficulty in profiting from content such as albums.

In 2014, a Japanese daily newspaper article compared girls' generation to AKB48's popularity in Asian countries. It is similar only in Japan, and the girls' generation is very much ahead in the rest of the country. [CentralPhoto]

In 2014, a Japanese daily newspaper article compared girls' generation to AKB48's popularity in Asian countries. It is similar only in Japan, and the girls' generation is very much ahead in the rest of the country.

In this way, planners come up with a "finished" that can capture foreign markets in a short time.

It is a girl group that has basic "equipped" family skills and sword military abilities, as well as foreign language skills such as English and Japanese. If you're a planner of some size, it's normal for trainees to sing, dance, and even take foreign language lessons.

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of methods of including foreign members as a way of targeting overseas markets, such as Twis and Blackpink. This has three Japanese members, and it is very popular in Japan. 

Twiss new song release ad introduced at a bookstore in Nagasaki, Japan, in May

Twiss new song release ad introduced at a bookstore in Nagasaki, Japan, in May

Of course, it is also pointed out that AKB48 alone should not evaluate the entire Japanese girl group. Unlike AKB48, which is a fan service, some teams have debuted as a 'finished' girl group like Korea. 

Besides, since "Produce 48" is still in its early days and is Korean-speaking, there are voices that should wait for Japanese trainees to adapt. In fact, Nako Yabuki, from HKT48, showed off his level of support in the 'Produce 48' 3-pronged group stage, which also won votes for the on-site voting team. 

 

I wish you the propaganda of Korean and Korean girls who work hard to leave their nationalities!

Why AKB48 didn't exceed K-POP trainees