How did you discover AKB48?

The anime was how my adventure into AKB started in July 2014. I watched it and enjoyed the songs. Of course my next step was to look up the songs on Youtube and that was when I discovered the 2009 River video from the K-1 World GP halftime show. At first I did not think it was the same song since the anime version did not have the beginning of the original song but luckily I kept watching the video and before long heard the song that I had been looking for. After that I looked up AKB48 and learned that they were a real group which led me to look up who the beautiful girl that captured my attention in the video was.
That is how I discovered Tomochin, who I much later found out had graduated , but it did not matter since before I learned she had graduated she stole my heart completely and became my Kami-oshi in the end.
After watching many videos and clips of her and the group I fell in love with both and have continued to follow both Tomochin's solo career and the 48G. I also have started to watch some of the TV shows and documentaries of the group which have only made my love for the girls even stronger than before (especially after watching the special on The History of AKB48).
I hope the group will continue to be successful even after my current #1 Oshimen: Takamina graduates officially on 4/8.

 

Last year around May/June I was watching Invincible Youth, a Korean Variety show that had girls from various KPOP group. I ended up enjoying the show and wondered if there were more shows like it. As I searched for more variety type shows that featured idol groups I came across AKB48 and the Nemousu TV on Hulu. I really liked the show and wanted to watch more episodes. Sadly Hulu only has that 1 season but luckily as I was searching online I found out about AKBingo, and now I can't get enough of the 48/46groups. I hope that they all continue to be successful and have more variety shows because just watching and listening to them (even though I may not understand), it brings a smile to my face.

 

I read manga AKB49 - I feel motivated after read it - searched for real group -> become fan of 48group

The portrayal of Team K and SKE48 made me searched for the real groups

 

When I first started learning Japanese I heard that listening to J-pop was good for helping you get used to the speed of the language. So I started hopping around youtube searching the word J-pop. I had no idea what I was doing or what to really look for at the time.

I wasn't really interested in ANY of the songs I came across until I found a non AKB song Ai Imi wo Ossiete by W.

I was so into that song. I just kept listening to it over and over. And then one day, I remember it was not long before my birthday. I was messing around looking for new Jpop when I stumbled across the music video for Namida Surprise.

I started looking into AKB and listening to more of their music. But I don't think I really got hooked on the band until I started reading their manga AKB49. That of course led me to watching things like AKBingo and Shukan.

 

Been reluctant to add my 2 cents to this thread as its actually a downer but sometimes its good to share?? like the previous post I was watching Youtube videos Koda Kumi and Ayumi Hamasaki, January 3rd 2012 and Heavy Rotation was a suggested video, I had never heard or seen of AKB48, I was like "Wha da...this is great!" Mariko instantly stood out as my favorite, while watching REPEATEDLY, I got a call from my wife she said she was feeling very bad and was going to the hospital by the time I got there they were doing chest compressions, she died the next morning.
That day and AKB48 have always been tied together for me, over the last 4.5 years all the 46/48 groups music has brought a lot of happiness and joy into my life.

 

I'm so sorry, @don

I'm glad music helped you though that time.

 

Found idols through Babymetal/Sakura Gakuin, then got into Momusu/HP then found AKBingo and fell in love.

 

Similar here, started reading the Manga online in 2011, but didn't get into AKB until someone posted links to Bingo episodes in early 2014.
In retrospect so much time wasted.
On the other hand I did look up some of the musicvideos back then and it didn't pull me in at that point, so I just wasn't ready yet I guess.

 

0048 ANIMU, Maybe why my first Oshimen was Iwata Karen

 

Sakura no kini narou ... Best AKB song ever for me ... Accidentally found this and it touch my heart . I didn't follow this group actually but after I watch their variety show - AKBingo . Then I followed them

 

I knew the existence of AKB48 when i saw it on a video of the fine bros (the ones that do reaction videos), i saw the mv of heavy rotation and i thought it was kinda nice, but i didn't really got into it.

But recently a few months ago i wanted to learn japanese, becuase i graduated school and before entering to university i gave it a try, i heard it helped to see variety shows, i saw a show called Dero and there were Akimoto, Sae and Minegishi, i thought they were really funny because Akimoto was crying, then i saw AKBINGO! and all scalated very quickly since then.

 

I had already seen articles and videos about AKB, but it was after watching AKB0048 that I knew them better. Even though I really liked the anime, I didn't get hooked on the group until last year. That was when I started to shift my attention from Showa idols, which I already knew very well, to groups in activity, and AKB was my main choice because of what I've seen in the anime.
Now I'm more of a 46G fan, but that came later on

 

They were mentioned on an episode of the Kanzenshuu podcast, then known as Daizenshuu EX. It was 2010 and Kokoro no Hane was being used in Dragon Ball Kai.

 

I first heard of AKB48 when I read the manga AKB49 Renai Kinshi Jourei in 2012 I think. I was interested on Takamina's character on the manga and I found out they were real. Acchan already graduated at that time. I started watching AKBINGO and I found it weird but eventually funny as I started to watch more.( It was the first ever Japanese variety show I watched). I started lurking stage48 and watched their PVs and songs. The first live performance I watched was the AKB48 Request Hour 2013, I wasn't actually there but watched it on Youtube in 360p.

From that time on I wasn't able to go back to an everyday life without idols.

 

AKB wasn't an unfamiliar idol group to me, i knew of them probably since Heavy Rotation became viral.
But one day as i was looking for J-Pop music just out of curiosity, i searched up AKB48 on youtube and found the Love Trip MV.
It actually changed my life lmao, i loved every single bit of the MV concept and the song.
As i was watching the MV, Jurina caught my eye.
I looked up who she was, and from that i became obsessed.

 

Already liked Japanese music since middle school but the first time I know the term "Japanese idol" was 2010. My first AKB48 song was Heavy Rotation but I got a shock because of the MV. The first idol group I like was actually Babymetal. Late 2011, I got into JKT48, later, I got into AKB48 and related groups.

 

March 9th 2010 There was a "Majisuka Gakuen" recommendation on the Korean drama forum. I watched a few chapters (japanese ) Then "AKB to XX!" I watched the first episode. (Mariko samaaaa. Then here I am.

Contrary to the majority, I do not like Oshima Yuko and Heavy Rotation song

Kami 3
Meada-san, Shinoda-san and Sasshi.

 

I'm a kpop fan actually. There's some video where they compared kpop and jpop and akb48 bingo appeared. My thought at that time was"Why there's so many girls there". It was so crowded. But even though I'm a fan of kpop but I watched Japan drama though. I watched Gokusen at that time and I saw a very cute girl playing a role of a sick girl. And guess what? It was Kojiharu. She'e really cute so it makes me want to search some information about her. I found out that she's from akb. But, it still didn't make me to like them yet. The moment when I started to get interested with them was when I searched for a video to watch on youtube. Suddenly, some shoujiki shougi video from akbingo appeared. It looks fun to watch so I watched it. As expected, it was really fun. I searched for the full video and searched for the english sub. Fortunately, at that time show48 was still around. So I got a lot of subbed akbingo from that site. From that moment on, I became obsessed with akb and never came back to kpop. lol.

 

Back in early 2012 as my friend always play JKT48 song in class, like a really loud and it seems everybody enjoy it including me.
So I kinda like the song but still not a fans tho. That time already knew few song from JKT48 from a shitload of CM like "Aitakatta" and "Heavy Rotation"

One day in recess, he showed me Heavy Rotation MV in class (Speaking of Insanity that we watched Heavy Rotation MV in school). My thought "wtf that Japanese Heavy Rotation is dope, better than JKT" from then I listened to some song like Aitakatta, Oogoe Diamond and of course Heavy Rotation.

A week later I have some assignment to do and I ask my friend to borrow his Flash Drive to copy some assignment.
When I opened there's some live performance video there and then i watched it
it was Heavy Rotation performance after 2011 Janken Taikai (Which he got it from YouTube)

Spoiler: Video

And my first thought is

So went into Facebook to asking names then I got it
Her name is "Maeda Atsuko" my very first oshi


This is the very first video that sucked me in, I played again.. and again like 10 times because of Acchan

The next day I spent full day watching some Video from YouTube and that was the first moment i discover them

A few months later I read that Acchan graduated,
Seeing her performing Yume no Kawa makes me cry

In October 2012 I watched some random YouTube video called "Shoujiki Shougi" that was the first time I watched BINGO!
and opened my way to wasting my teenage years worshiping Japanese Girl discover more about AKB48.
Really, AKBINGO! Help me a lot


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OMG My very first video is that video too