Have you heard of AKB48 before? Don’t be confused, we are not going to talk about guns(AK47). AKB48 is one of the most famous Japanese idol girl group in Tokyo, named after the Akihabara, where the group’s theatre is located. The group has expanded to over 130 members since December 2015, while many people thought they only have 48 members as their name suggests.

Unlike concerts, AKB48 has performance every day in Akihabara along with a series of events, including “handshake” events so that fans can meet their idols closer. Not only in Japan, their members are distributed in other Asian countries, such as China, Indonesia and Philippines. Even though they are idols rather than professional singers, they have been ranked as the third-best-selling music artist in Japan by sales of 51.3million.  

Since AKB48 debuted, this group has been split into several teams primarily due to the workload as there is only one team performing every day. But at the same time, different teams have their own themes for example, Team A stands for freedom while team B is idol-like. Split makes it possible to see these teams in other places except Akihabara and also, members can have more chances to show their talents. However, is everyone a team member of AKB48? The answer is a big NO because to provide the best performance for fans, many members are actually trainees who understudy for the group, performing occasionally in the theatre waiting for the chance to get promoted when senior members graduate.

As it is a huge group, arguments between each other on popularity or fans would happen anytime, there are very strict rules on members. Any violation of restrictions will be applied to severe punishment, even worse they might be expulsed from the group.  

So how is this group different from other music bands or singers? Besides handshaking and photograph with fans, there are several shops opened in other cities in Japan like Fukuoka, exhibiting products related to AKB48 such as posters, stationery, albums even clothing. In other words, what AKB48 brings to their fans is the intimacy between each other. By looking at other bands or singers, going to a concert to see favorite singers is very pricy and the front rows are always competitive and ridiculously expensive. However, if it is AKB48, the situation will be different as you can meet your favorite idol in Akihabara and you can buy everything with her portrait on with just several bucks. Very EASY isn’t? More important they don’t belong to any guy because they have to be single in the group, so they belong to every fan apparently. This influence does not only exist in Japan, but their fame spreads out to countries like Singapore as well.

Nevertheless their high popularity in Japan, this idol group is full of controversy because this whole group is all about kawaii(cuteness), and group members are not allowed to have boyfriends, as it will destroy their images on their fans and lose trusts as well. In a meantime, many people criticized that their lyrics is sexually-suggestive which would lead bad influence on their young fans as well as young members in the group. Another scene is in one television commercial for Puccho candy, girls held the candy between their teeth to pass to one another, is criticized for “encouraging homosexuality”. On the other hand, in terms of fans, as the popularity of AKB48 arises, more guys would like to contribute their money and time to supporting their favorite idol, rather than actively pursuing a real relationship with girls.

So, do you have an idea what AKB48 is now? You may feel like “Oh yeah, it is a girl’s group famous in Asia”, but sorry for letting you down that listed above is just an introduction, as there are more amazing things about AKB48 needed to be found out by you in Japan.