Pop Culture Tuesdays XV

I don’t particularly care for subject of this week’s post, but to do a series on Japanese Pop Culture and not mention them would be a serious oversight. Possibly bordering on the criminal.

I’m talking about the subject of every Otaku’s Saturday-night masturbation sessions…

AKB48!

They’re kitschy and tacky to be sure, but they also annoy the everliving shit out of me, and I just can’t like them.

Or maybe I don’t like them because they so shamelessly whore themselves for their target audience. Yet, because I’m human and have the capacity to hold contradictory feelings at the same time, I also respect the fact that they are so transparently devoted to attracting and keeping their fan base.

First some background information, then let’s take a look at what I’m talking about (All information is lifted from Wikipedia, because I know next to nothing, and want to know nothing, about this group.).

So AKB48 stands for Akihabara (the Tokyo Otaku district where their theatre, and fan base, are located) and the 48 stands for the 48 members of the group. The group is divided into three teams (A, K, and B…clever!) of girl-nextdoorsy Japanese women (though ‘girls’ is probably more accurate than women, as most are even younger than me). In their theatre they have their show everyday of the week and several times on the weekend.

If the shows are anything like the music videos it’s pretty much all about creating incredible amounts of sexual tension while faking innocence and pretending nothing’s going on. With some shitty, Disney-esque song playing at the same time.

Actually, that’s a pretty accurate description. AKB48: Like “High School Musical” but with lots of fanservice and thinly veiled sexuality!

Let’s have a look!





It’s so not my thing, but they’ve got their shtick down so well I can completely see how some people could find this hot, and are totally on the edge of their seats shouting at the computer “Kiss! Do it!!” (I admit the girl in the Sexy Cat Costume playing with the chandelier got me as close as I’ll get to liking this.).

But what’s with the one with short hair?? I guess it’s for the guys who are into that, but seriously, short hair on Japanese women is only for female members of the Diet.

And you totally know that after their 19th show on Saturday they’re herded back into their 48 stackable, pet-shop-style kennels and given dinner with those water bottles that hang on the sides of the cage.