Hello everybody! First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I'm Kazu, and I'm a 24 years old Spanish Anthropology research student who wants to go deeper into the topic of the "idol". Like most of you, I am really interested in Japan (actually I could live a year in Tokyo). Nowadays I am researching about idols and Japanese popular culture and I'm focusing on AKB48. That's why I am here. I want to know more about AKB48 world! How the idols are, how does the group works, the hierarchy, the style, the fans... everything! So I would be really happy if you could recommend me some documentaries and books (or articles) about AKB48 in general! English, Spanish, Portuguese or even in Japanese will be fine Of course I would mention this website on my work. And, of course, I'm not here just for this. I would like to be one more in this site and enjoy of it Thank you very much and I hope this will be funny!
Hello Kazu! unkowwn here. It's an interesting topic you created and hopefully your research goes well. Japanese Pop Idols is a very unique subject. Trust me I actually tried doing this topic in my senior sociology classes before I graduated College. That is until I shifted my focus on feminism. My bad tho, I did regret not finishing my initial thought. If you want to watch a documentary about AKB48. LOL dude you are in luck because they have been documentaries for nearly every year. I recommend their 1st documentary called "AKB48 Documentary to be continued" which you can get on amazon subtitled. I bought mines locally at Wal-Mart, but yeah you likely have better luck with streaming or ordering it. If you lived on the same island as me i'd drive over and hand you my copy haha. If you are looking for good references in Japanese Culture I suggest diving into the University of Hawaii at Manoa Anthropology Department material. They have really good literature (both contemporary and historical) about Japanese Culture. Recently their staff wrote a really interesting book about SANRIO - Hello Kitty! I personally bought the Japanese way of Justice (really good read). If you want to talk more about this DM' me. EDIT: I added correct movie title. Oops.
If you want to know about "AKB48"? I suggest to start your research with Onyanko Club and Aki-P first.
And if you want to go even deeper in history about the Japanese "Idol" concept. Look up Seiko Matsuda and Momoe Yamaguchi. They are from the 80s-90s period (and so is Onyanko Club) which shaped how idol culture is still today Then move on to Aki-P's AKB/48 Group and Johnny's for the progession to idol group domination of pop music. Enjoy! Edit: I assume you have some command of Japanese language and local culture? Helps with the nuances which the Japanese as a culture are famous for and that is no different to u/stand Idol culture
Just check up the Stage 48 wiki and watch these then you are all set. http://stage48.net/wiki/index.php/AKB48 [2011.01.22] DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 to be continued "10 Nengo, Shoujo Tachi wa Ima no Jibun ni Nani o Omou Nodarou?" [2012.01.27] DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 Show must go on Shoujo-tachi wa Kizutsuki Nagara, Yume wo Miru [2013.02.01] DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 No flower without rain Shoujo Tachi wa Namida no Ato ni Nani wo Miru? [2014.07.04] DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 The Time Has Come
Thank you all! Everything is going to be really helpfull. I am also searching about AKB48 history and hierarchy and divisions of the group, so if someone knows where I can find about that, please, make me know Yes! I've been studying Japanese for 5-6 years now. I'm not that good at it, but yeah, I guess I have learned something this time haha Thank you everybody! I didn't expect so many replies. So, unkowwn, theobserver, nobodywill and marioworldakb: you are great haha I don't want to sound like I am here just trying to "get information", so don't hesitate to ask me if you want to know something about my work or about me
Hi, Kazu. I hope I'm not too late to post my reply. Normally, I would suggest anyone who knows a little Japanese to go check the dedicated wiki that Japanese fans have created, and start reading from each group's overview and history (just a warning: not all pages are updated regularly, some entries seem to be orphaned, and in some other cases I bet they have been edited by antis to include malicious content). However, reading your self-introduction, I'm assuming that you are trying to look into the subject not just as a hobby but also as part of some academic project. I agree with the other users that you might want to watch the documentaries, even though they may look a bit too melodramatic or saccharine at times. Personally, I'd also like to suggest this other documentary too, since it provides a pretty good insight on the making of an AKB music single and all the creative process that goes behind it. Anyway, since you also asked for books to use as reference, I'm going to post a list of essays that I have collected and read in the past, since I happen to be interested in this kind of literature as well. Here you go, hoping it will be of any help: Idol history in general Islands of Eight Million Smiles - This is probably the only decent book about the idol phenomenon that you can find in English language. It was released back in 2005, but the author's research stops much early, at the late 90s with Namie Amuro & pals, which basically means there isn't a single mention of Morning Musume or any newer groups inside the book. It says a lot that most of the idol and group names that the author brings up as an example are long gone, except for Seifuku Koujou Iinkai (and even so, they aren't the same thing as today). But if you can stand the outdatedness and the unnecessary comparisons to Shintoism (why?), you have a reasonably good book giving an insight on both the management and the fan side of the idol world back then. Yamaguchi Momoe → AKB48 Aidoru-ron - Another book giving a quick rundown on the idol phenomenon through the years (including the "Winter of Idols" that was the 90s) until present days. It seems also to be one of the few books to actually point out the link between the folk music boom of the 70s and the first idol boom of the 80s, and to successfully identify Saori Minami as the "missing link" connecting the two. Many other books just don't seem to give any satisfactory explanation as to how idols came to be or where they branched from, so one more reason to recommend it. Bokutachi to Aidoru no Jidai - Same as above, but somewhat more critical in regards to sales marketing and such. The book is, after all, an update of another essay by the same author about the so-called "AKB Shouhou" (a kind of marketing thus called because many people mistakenly believe it has been invented by AKB and is used only for their own advantage, which is false, as the book later proves), which the author tries to explain and somehow defend. Dare ni mo Kakenai Aidoru-ron - Chris Matsumura is a cool guy and a TV tarento with an extensive knowledge of idols. To be honest, I ordered this book because he appeared on the show "NMB to Manabukun" some time ago and I liked his lectures about male and female idols of the Showa era. Sadly, there's very little content inside, other than an endless list of what idols were popular in which year, with some sparse comments on the side. Meh... Aidoru no Yomikata - Like the title says, an essay reflecting on what the word "idol" and "aidoru-rashii" even means anymore in this day and age. Lots of references and comparisons to AKB and Momoiro Clover, as well as Ama-chan since the drama series was at the peak of its popularity when the book was written. A bit disappointed to see groups like BiS being shoehorned inside, since they are not idols by any stretch of the definition. Maboroshi no Kindai Aidoru-shi - This book tries to delve further back in time and enstablish a continuity between modern idols and "idols" of pre-WWII Japan (in other words, Taisho era and early Showa era). Many personal episodes of their lives (as well as fan lore) are listed in an attempt to draw similarities with today's idols and their characteristics (the behavior, the fanservice, etc...), while searching for historical precedents in the popular entertainment scene of that time. If you ask me, it feels a bit too forced to see modern idol archetypes (such as tsurishi and ponkotsu) being applied to divas of the 1930s, but it could be worse. Personally, I have even seen articles and blog posts trying to trace the origin of the modern concept of "idols you can meet" further back to the Edo period, by bringing up kanban musume and the life of Kasamori Osen as an example (never mind that their closest analogues would be maid cafes), so yeah.... There's a lot of cherrypicking involved in the making of this book, that's for sure, but there's also some good research behind it and it might be quite educational, if only because it deals with an obscure subject from a completely new angle. I say it's a decent enough read if you are a history buff. AKB History 48 Genshou - First official book, published in 2007. It's basically an early manifesto of AKB and a glimpse of what it used to be all about back in the beginning, before they ever hoped to make it big. You have interviews with the members, the producer Akimoto, the then-theater manager Togasaki, the fans (a rare thing to see their voice officially represented, actually), and a glossary somewhere inbetween, which includes many terms that have long fallen in disuse. AKB48 History - Second official book, it tells the history of AKB from its origins up to 2010 or so, as told by the members through occasional quotes. The narrative is a bit too self-complacent and borders on melodramatic, what with the excessive emphasis on their early struggles and later successes. Only worth buying for the short commentary by Akimoto at the bottom of the book, where he reviews each stage setlist and describes how they came to be. AKB48 Ura-History - Much better alternative to the aforementioned book. This one is semi-official, and looks into AKB history until 2012 or so with more critical eyes (they also have a timeline at the end that reflects wotas' experience more accurately, complete with incidents and mishaps). It also includes comments from fans as part of the narrative, as long as you trust Bubka. At the bottom, you can find an exclusive interview with members of the then-newly-formed HKT. SKE48 Ura-History - Same as above, but it's about SKE48 and it covers until 2014. Interview with Yuria Kizaki near the bottom. I swear, Bubka needs to publish a volume dedicated to NMB next... Kusattara Make - Official history book of HKT until 2015, semi-autobiographical, but I haven't looked into it that much so I can't tell for sure how it is... Hopefully, it won't be just a glorification of Sashihara. Namida wa Kutouten - Published to commemorate AKB's 10th anniversary, it's a mini-compendium packed with articles and think pieces about pretty much everything under the sun. Handshake events, costumes, concerts, charity events, janken tournaments, you name it... It contains not only interviews with the staff and the most prominent members (graduates too), but also writeups from other big Japanese personalities weighing in on all things AKB from their respective professional fields. You have filmmakers, linguists, political commentators, rakugo actors, just to name a few. To my surprise, I found it far from being self-celebratory, and it's even a bit introspective at times. Of course, there's also a master list of all songs/members/singles/chronological events so far, in case you need it, though it's a book I recommend reading only after you have already gained sufficient knowledge of AKB. Critics AKB48 no Keizaigaku - It claims, at least on the back cover, to be a book about the economic model behind AKB, its strategy to make a profit even in an economic recession and such, but there's really little in the way of economic analysis inside and it's more of a broad introduction to AKB's well-known business and structure. There're parts in the books where the author explains AKB's way to balance between underground (wota-friendly) and mainstream (masses-friendly), as well as local and global, which I never found in any other book and so it might be worth reading just for that. But all things considered, I'd rather call it an "AKB for Dummies", honestly. AKB48 to Burakku Kigyou - This one is convoluted. Sakakura, a labor activist, picks up 50 songs from AKB and analyzes the social messages inside their lyrics. He then compares AKB's condition at the time when these lyrics were written to current state of the labor market, and tries to see how the lesson they teach to the members can be applied to improve the labor conditions of Japanese workers as a whole. Yup... The author is right in assuming that Akimoto is writing lyrics also as an encouragement/lesson for the members, as well as social commentary. No surprise, Akimoto is after all aware of their hardships and tries to address them as a producer. However, maybe he's reading too much into his songs sometimes and he only ends up exaggerating his genius for no reason. Too much overthinking, imho. Maeda Atsuko wa Kirisuto o Koeta - Speaking of overthinking. Part biography on how Hamano became an AKB fan, part study on inter-personal relationships between idols, fans and antis that is peculiar to the AKB system. Considering that Hamano is a researcher in communication sciences, it's easy to see where he comes from with this and why he's so enthusiastic. Thankfully, the only religious aspects treated in the book seem to be values like endurance (against antis), unconditional devotion (from the fans, supporting and visiting the idols) and altruism (by the idol who gives her all for the fans, despite the antis), which Hamano identifies as Christian-like. Personally, I lost it at the comparison between tsurishi idols and St. Peter the "fisher of men". I mean, come on... Biographical / Interviews AKB48 no Senryaku - Quick, relatively short book, it's a transcript of an one-on-one interview between journalist Tahara Soichiro (who's acting a little bit too passive) and producer Akimoto, inquiring on how he goes about producing AKB, his future plans for the group, international expansion and whatnot. Just a forewarning: Akimoto, as some might already know, tends to speak in metaphors and analogies when he needs to explain a concept to his interlocutors, so be prepared for quite a lot of it. Contains an interview with Takahashi Minami in the middle. Quite enlightening even to long-time fans (personally, I didn't know until now that Thailand was actually the first country, along with Taiwan, to send an offer for an overseas sister group) Saikasou Aidoru - Autobiography by Oohori Megumi with a hint of self-criticism. Gyakuten-ryoku - Autobiography/self-development book by Sashihara Rino, actually based on a transcript of several talk sessions with her. As far as I know, this one book got a fan translation, so see if someone can give you the link to it, if you ever need it. Riida-ron - Another autobiography/self-development book, this time by Takahashi Minami. Hi-Senbatsu Aidoru and Hi-Senbatsu datta Watashi wo Sukutta 48 no Kotoba - Two autobiography books by Nakaya Sayaka (former AKB member, now a seiyuu), focusing on life in AKB from the point of view of a non-senbatsu member Gapapa - Autobiography by Nakagawa Haruka, it tells her life in Jakarta after volunteering to be transferred to JKT. She draws some interesting comparisons between Japan and Indonesia, based on her relationship with local members and work on local TV. Moto Aidoru - This one isn't related to AKB, but anyway... Yoshida Go is a journalist specialized in idols, he's a cool guy too and friends with Kinoshita Momoka, so it's a pity he has to work for despicable tabloids like Jitsuwa Knuckles. Anyway, this is a collection of interviews with former idols where he tries to unveil secrets and interesting episodes about their past job. Nothing particularly scandalous, so don't hold your breath. Do not expect big names either, many of the interviewee's names won't ring a bell to today's readers, and some even make you wonder if they should be considered idols at all. The way Go can put his interlocutors at ease even when asking uneasy questions makes for a fun read, though. There's also a second installment, but it's even more low-key than this one, so I never thought of buying it. --- Whelp, that's all, I hope I haven't left anything out. If you can find even one book that catches your interest, I'll be a happy man... 以上。
Thanks a lot, Cisalpine88!!! You are not late at all. Actually my research is going to last at least until September, so everything is welcomed now And your references are going to be absolutely helpful! Thank you very much! Although my Japanese is far from being perect, I will try to get some of those books and search for some information at least. You have really wrote a large post, and it's full of references. I have no words hahaha For now I have seen two of the documentaries and I searched many concepts on the wiki, so now I can say I understand how AKB works, at least in a general sense. When I finish to read about all these topics I will go to the next step. And I have to say that all of your post have helped me a lot, so, once again, thank you very much!
Greetings, Kazu-san! I've been around for a while but I've finally got my account now. Apologies for being late. Actually, I wrote a paper on the history of idols in a class this semester; however, I did it from a more cultural/gender history POV. Nevertheless, I'll list some sources I found valuable. All of them should be available from libraries (especially through inter-library loan, if your library has access to WorldCat) and some from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.jp: Aoyagi, Hiroshi. Islands of Eight Million Smiles. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2005. (This book is rather old, but it is indeed a great introduction to the idol culture of Japan written by an anthropologist. Even for me as a historian this was a great source.) Galbraith, Patrick W., and Karlin, Jason G. Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. (This one is newer, and it actually has a lot of studies on AKB48, so be sure to also pay attention to the citations. They have a lot of nice sources. It even looks like the authors are AKB48 otakus themselves. You might want to get in touch with them personally: Galbraith is now at Duke University; Karlin is still in Japan at the U of Tokyo.) 太田省一『アイドル進化論：南沙織から初音ミク、AKB48まで』 (Idol Evolution: From Minami Saori to Hatsune Miku and AKB48 by Ota Shoichi). (Rather nice narrative of the history of idols since 1970.) 岡田康宏『アイドルのいる暮らし』(Life with Idols by Okada Yasuhiro). (This is an interview of a few idol fans; it's a nice primary source. Of course if you're doing something like a PhD thesis you are going to do personal interviews too.) 香月孝史『「アイドル」の読み方：混乱する「語り」を問う』 (How to Read Idols: Asking about Confusing "Things" by Katsuki Takashi). (I didn't read much of this, but it was quite a good read from what I did read.) J. E. Robertson. Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Japan. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998. (This book is about Takarazuka, but it's useful nevertheless. AKB48 & modern idols have been compared to Takarazuka like, a few million times. The chapter on fan culture is also useful.) 笹山敬輔『幻の近代アイドル史：明治・大正・昭和の芸能盛衰記』(The Secret History of Modern Idols: the Rise and Fall of Meiji, Taisho and Showa Popular Performing Arts by Sasayama Keisuke). (More like a "pre-history" of the idol and less relevant, but it's definitely worth a look.) Seigle, Cecilia Segawa. Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press, 1993. (This book has absolutely nothing to do with idols, but I find it very useful nevertheless, as it concerns a lot about interesting gender & sex issues and the kabuki theater, which the origin of modern Japanese popular performing arts. Moreover, it's a very nice book that is worth a read anyway.) This is a good read. It's an anonymous undergraduate thesis from a student at the U of Tokyo (claimed) on the fandom of Morning Musume. I found it completely randomly, but it appears to be rather good work; it must have been at least a talented undergrad (if not a UTokyo student) who wrote it. I would probably suggest Aoyagi (2005) and Galbraith & Karlin (2012) as the starting points, esp. Galbraith & Karlin. If I were you I'll also try to email Galbraith & Karlin. To find Japanese articles & papers about idols & AKB48 (of which there are plenty), use Google Scholar in Japanese, or CiNii論文. The later was more useful for me. Also, you might be interested in watching lots of AKB & idol videos (esp MVs, variety shows, etc). They are both entertaining and of value of study! As an anthropologist you will definitely also want to do participatory study. But I think the first thing to do is to read the books and talk to the experts. よろしくお願いします！
