Can AKB48 make an international career?

First AKB48 will visit Japan Expo in July, then Mipcom in October (open only to media professionals), making obvious that their management is aware by now that there are fans of the group outside Japan, and would certainly like to try exporting AKB48.
But is it even possible? What would they have to keep or change in order to succeed? Is the "idols you can meet" formula going to work outside Japan? Are certain photoshoots or idol videos made by members of the group going to cause a controversy? What about the fact that few members can (barely) speak English?
There are many more questions and possible answers, please post your thoughts here!

 

AKB should stay in Japan, imo. For the girls' sake.

If fugimoto so wants to go overseas, do it with overseas girls.

 

I dont think the AKB48 concept would work outside Japan.
They're not even that popular with the general public in Japan (their main fans are wota) so I don't think they'd be well off with the general public outside Japan.
And BoA's and Utada's US careers aren't exactly going well (Utada's doing better though).

 

I can definitely see the ---48 concept working in other parts of Asia, but US audiences would probably have much the same reaction as our original reactions: "wtf too many girls!"

 

^I agree with you ...
I think if AKB48 is doing very well/exceptionally well in Japan ,
Then maybe their company should do some research/surveys on whether which other countries thats out of Japan ; Knowing about Akb48 .
Then maybe it would be a success ... I think .
(If thats the case , AKB girls might need extra tuition on other languages ...)

 

^ MM is still more popular (or...more famous) than AKB.
As to the question of the topic... No.

 

It would not work here for sure. They could get hyped in the media, release one successful single and then never be heared from again. That's how it usually goes here.

 

totally agree,

Japanese music is very special in the world, only very few artists (lots of indies) go to make some tour around the world, and only to do some small concerts.

important bands, never go outside cause they don't need, and personally, if i love japan music and AKB48 is for that reason, that they only are in japan, outside never would be the same, speacially for idol bands, idol culture is exclusive japanese.

 

International career thats basically impossible,
but I think they can try around Asia,
u know some Japaness artists holding their live tour around asia,
so would like to see AKB do it one day.

 

Not a hope in hell.

Although like Ali said, the 48 formula could work in other parts of Asia, as they have their own versions of the Idols. If they were to debut in the west they would have to make themselves as trivial as possible, because they wouldn't be taken seriously at ALL if they came went over as artists. Their only slight (VERY VERY SLIGHT) chance of success would be focusing on the childrens market, like Disney. I'm not even going to get into the language barrier.

 

Japanese artists will never be successful outside Japan. So I hope they never try to hit the international market.

 

Like the rest of you, I have no faith in AKB48 making an international career.
There are too many obstacles, and no real profit to be made.

They should rather (and already do to a certain degree) focus on making it easier and a bit more rewarding to be a foreign fan.
But if they try too hard, I think they might lose some of their "magic".

The Japan Expo thingy is a pretty big step for them, and it shows they more or less aknowledge us non Japanese fans. I hope...

 

I think it's not impossible for them to make it outside of Japan because they are all very cute and it seems like often good looks count more than everything else. But the important thing would be that they don't try it with the 48 concept but more with normal singles and albums.
But in the end i don't think they are going to try it anyway.

And kaito said that the market would be the kids and there's a language barrier. Well, as long as you're not raised with only music in your own language around you I don't believe that it is that big of a problem.
Whenever someone says to me "Oh no, it's japanese, I wouldn't understand it so it's nothing for me" I remember them of the time when they were young, couldn't speak or understand a word of English but listened to Britney on the radio.
And some of them understand then that it's about the music and not the language.

 

^Well, in the US at least, people are raised with pretty much ONLY English, besides random insert-country-here Towns in bigger cities... And they might learned Spanish from Dora the Explorer. I think Europe is much better with language issues, as I believe they're more used to dealing with other countries, but for the most part, the US is extremely US-centric.

Exactly.

And there's no way that more conservative people would allow for things like Jurina up-skirts. The girls are just too young and the idea is just so out there.

 

^I know what you mean but since the topic title is "Can AKB48 make an international career" I thought a bit about my own country. Sure, you first think about the states but since Team Paris/France is going to Europe I think I could try to explain my thoughts.

 

^ Would have secured a lot of jobs at the FCC if it were to happen. =)

Edited for typo.

 

I think all countries are the same. Latin America, for example, is very Spanish/English centered (when it comes to languages). Offering another language (even Portuguese, for the countries which not speak this language) is simply bizarre.

We have to have in mind the only country that speaks Japanese is Japan. It might sound stupid, but it's a factor. It's like Chinese or Korean, all those languages which are spoken in just one country. They are old languages, but they have never surpassed their limits in all of these years.

Think of Utada, who tried to hit the US market. Think of Puffy Amy Yummy. Even Lucy Liu . The only Asian I can think is kind of successful is Jackie Chan.

AKB48 going to Europe doesn't mean they are popular or that they can be popular there in the future. It only means that there is a Japanophile in every corner of this world (1 in 100K, perhaps).

 

I agree.

I'm not sure about other countries, but I know FOR SURE that
AKB48 and other -48 system will NOT work in Korea.
Two words: SUPER CONSERVATIVE.

I'm darn sure they will not allow over half of the AKB songs on air
because they are just too darn young to sing those kind of stuff.

 

That wasn't what I wanted to say. I just combined the focus on the children market with the music and the fact that you grow up in Europe with more foreign languages around you and that this would be the way I could possible see a chance for AKB48 to be a bit successful internationally.

And I don't think that lyrics would be a problem because kids woudn't understand it. When I think about English lyrics in the radio I listen to and I think "Omg, they can play this only because it's in English. If I would tell my mother what it means she would be like: O_____ô No way!"
It would be the same with Japanese.

 

I disagree, I think the 48 system would probably work the best in Korea (and China). Like I said earlier they're the only countries that have the Idol system, and given that AKB48 has/had the 'Idols you can meet' tagline, I think that would be incredibly successful in Korea. Especially as Idols over there as bigger as ever.
In aspects for the controversial side of AKB48, they would no doubt be banned left, right and center, but (as sad as I don't want to say) they're kind of stopped all that and just gone pure Idol these days. I'm sure if that if there was a Korean version of AKB48, that they'd still make it controversial, or at least dramatic. I mean, every idol ballad song has someone dying in a car crash just after confessing their love to their boyfriends best friend or something.