Event / Concert AKB48 53rd Single Sekai Senbatsu Sousenkyo (2018/06/16)

Ah, got ya, thanks for clearing that up for me
I recall the Eien Yori Tsuzuku You Ni song from that Mechaike episode

 

I think it's less simple for NMB. Because NMB is Yoshimoto (and lest someone think Sayanee isn't, her agency is a branch of Yoshimoto), and you don't want to get on Yoshimoto's bad side. Even if she were to go to a different agency, if you get on Yoshimoto's black list it might become very difficult to do any work. So if the agency says “don't leave” you do what they say.

On the other hand, putting it like this makes it sound quite extreme, and reality is probably a lot less so. She's no slave and Japan being Japan there are probably no explicit threats made, and I can't honestly say she looks unhappy enough for us to speculate she's being literally forced to anything. But there's probably a pressure, and if there is, it would be unwise to ignore it.

 

He doesn't even have to let us know he's not writing lyrics anymore, he could just get some ghostwriters. I mean, it's not like AKB's fans are around because of their exceptional lyrics

I understand creating new stages for all teams regularly would be difficult, but aiming to create a new stage for one team of each sister group every year (maybe 2 for AKB since they have 5 teams) and rotating which team gets a new stage every year would bring plenty of fresh air. Sure, it would mean some teams would have to wait 3 years for their turn to come but at least everyone would know it's coming and people would be looking forward to something. I wouldn't be so annoyed by teams having to do revivals of old stages sometimes if I knew they were at least going to get a new one soon. Plus, the selection of stages to do revivals of would get bigger fast, and they wouldn't have to do revivals of the same ones all over and over again.

She could also stay under Yoshimoto (or whatever her agency is) as a solo artist, which wouldn't breach the contract.

 

I agree if you meant Sasshi, Yukirin, Sayanee and Yui by old veterans and Renacchi, Rikahime, Komiharuu and Kojimako, all of whom worked extremely hard to build up their characters, image and public recognition over the years, by young members.

 

You are correct but you missed my point. What I meant is, if Yoshimoto says “we don't want you to leave”, you do what they say.

 

If they've had "years" to build up their characters, image, and public recognition, then no, they are not "young members". Especially if members who joined at the same time have already made it to senbatsu.

It shouldn't be hard, given the wording of my post and the post immediately before, to figure out who specifically I was referring to as an "old veteran".

 

19-21 is not young?

Tomu is the "old veteran"? She's the oldest girl to be added in the post immediately before yours.

 

It's not actually about age, though even that is not young compared to 14 (Satone) and 15 (Aayan). If you prefer, I can change it to "new" or "fresh" since that's closer to what I meant. Renacchi has been pushed since forever, with hardly anything to show for it. Komi, Mako? Eh, sure, whatever, they're kind of new but not really.

 

Oh then I disagree. 14-15 is way too young for full time work as a celebrity. They should at least finish middle school first. Til then, they can focus on creating characters for themselves. And ditching girls who are just starting to gain momentum for girls who are fresh out of their diapers is just going to perpetuate the vicious cycle of there not being any popular enough girls at the front. I always thought of 18-22 as the idol's peak.

 

First, where did I suggest doing that? "Old veterans" doesn't apply to these girls (except Renacchi, maybe) any more than "young members" does. Second, how are any of the girls you mentioned (besides Rika) gaining any sort of momentum? Mako and Renacchi are in a holding pattern and have been for ages. Komi was a flash in the pan, though unlike the other two she is at least trying.

That doesn't mean they shouldn't be putting them out there for the public to get acquainted with.

 

Renacchi and Mako are getting work left and right outside of the theater bubble you are living in. FYI Renacchi was the first Theater no Megami for having the most appearances in BW1 (at one point of time). Those new blood can work in the theaters first and grow a unique personality first. BORING IS A PERSONALITY TRAIT.

 

The mafia operates on the same principles.

 

Even if that were true, which it isn't, what does the theater have to do with anything? Their SSK results are stable or declining, their HS sales are nonexistent (outside of voting singles, but even then it was mediocre). Your precious "outside work" is a consequence of having agencies, not of having momentum. And, also, a proof of them not being new or fresh anymore.

Did they actually call her that? I wouldn't be surprised, her push has been all kinds of desperate. She was literally only ahead by one performance, for a couple months, after being several behind both Katayama Haruka and Takeuchi Miyu since the start of the stage. That's not what makes a "Theater no Megami" (of which there had been many before her), but I can totally see management trying to milk that for all it was worth. In comparison, in the same time period, the current Theater no Megami was at 98% (63/64) for 42, and 100% for 43, while Renacchi managed an amazing 91% (81/89) for the whole run of BW1.

They have personalities, but maybe Rena and Mako should have spent more time developing theirs.

Yeah, a boring one.

 

Oh sweety, you are confusing everything. First of the theatre has everything to do with everything. This is AKB FFS. The theater is where they grow and develop.

And as great as the theater is, it's still not the big picture. There's still the larger J-Entertainment industry. And the whole asian entertainment industry. Renacchi flunked the SSK but she also sold 20k photobooks. The AKB metrics is not the be all and end all of their place in the cosmos.

You should also know that only the cream of the crop gets agencies now. So girl, you have to be somebody for an agency to sign you. You think Renacchi got signed just because some agency stepped into AKS closed their eyes and threw a signed contract into the air perfectly ok with it landing in anyone's hands? To get signed you need to be somebody. To be a somebody you need to have momentum. Momentum can start from within AKB yes but you need to have momentum with the general public.

So yea the difference between our POVs is that I'm more interested in big picture stuff and not so much in shoving underaged girls down everyone's throat since I would rather protect them unless they're made of steel like rap god Erii. Likewise, I don't think the general public are thaaaaaat interested in children so there's really no need to put that many in senbatsu.

 

Don't be stupid. Neither AKS nor the agency would be fine with it landing in "anyone's" hands. AKS has just as much say in who they were able to pick. All these transfers happened over a year and a half ago as well, and haven't really gone anywhere.

And really, is that what you're going with? You do know what Renacchi's agency is, right?

Let me know when you finally get a hint of the "big picture".

 

if it is a really big picture, please don't forget to thumbnail it

 

A newly formed subsidiary of OgiPro?

 

Takamina and Kojiharu's pet project.

 

hey at least they got to clean a pond on tv

 

Plus NMB girls have the '2-year ban on entertainment work if you leave' clause in their contracts (except for the latest draftees I think). 2 years out of showbiz would be devastating for Sayaka's career so going to another agency is pretty much not an option for her, so that's another theoretical pressure on her to do what Yoshimoto/Showtitle says.