As idols, AKB are in a position to be a positive influence on the people they reach out to. Has AKB or being an AKB fan inspired you to do anything outside your normal routines? (more than just 'they inspired me to spend all my money on their merchandise') For example, I've been watching the cooking segments on BINGO. I hate cooking, my sister inherited all the cooking talent and I have absolutely none. But I was inspired to try to make gyoza with the thought that they made it look somewhat easy, and if even inexperienced cooks like the girls can make it somewhat okay, surely I can too. To date, it's the most complicated thing I've ever cooked, and while they weren't that tasty (everything I make turns out flavorless for some reason), I still felt accomplished. I've also never been very girly, not paying much attention to my appearance, but watching the girls be so cute, pretty and fashionable really inspires me to try my best to look nice too, and even to be more interested in clothes, which I have always absolutely hated
It has inspired me to vigilantly check the yen in the business section of the newspaper and try predicting when the yen is down to do my online purchases.
AKB motivated me to formally learn Japanese. Well, I've always been inspired since I'm a Japanophile but AKB was the reason which made me enroll in formal classes.The classes will start in two weeks. Hmm... What else? I also got inspired to do martial arts because of them. I do Karate, did Aikido and did Judo. I'm actually thinking of learning Kendo this summer. And yup, fashion! I always take note of Uematsu-san's words whenever I buy and mix-and-match stuff. Then, I noticed that I now prefer kawaii style. Basically, AKB reinforced my liking to Japanese culture. And I got a Seifuku from Japan (Keibetsu-inspired) which I never use because of AKB. AKB have definitely changed my lifestyle.
I've been more seriously considering learning the Japanese language. As a teen growing up on anime and manga, I had entertained it before but Spanish (which I still can't speak fluently) was a more practical choice in school plus I never felt a strong need to learn Japanese with all the subs/translations available. With J-music, language isn't much of an issue as it's the actual music and voices I'm enjoying more than the words and there wasn't any J-artists I was really emotionally invested in to go beyond the music/performances. Being in the 48/46 fandom though has really shown me how much you can miss by not knowing the language. I can still get what's going on during shows when there's games and competitions but the heavy talk segments isolate me completely. If there isn't someone willing to translate a girl's blog or G+ posts then you can only appreciate her photo updates and not learn a thing about her. You can't write her a letter without assistance and if you were ever so lucky enough to fly to Japan and attend a HS event (which I seriously want to do someday), you wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation with her. So while the geographical barrier may still be vast, the language one IS something I can break with effort. I've got some textbooks and practice books in my "to buy" queue and I'll be looking into which school has classes that can fit my work schedule. AKB in particular, has also been inspiring a pretty grand story in me. It's all been in the head though, maybe eventually it'll overflow so much that I start to put pen to paper. I can be girly sometimes but as of late, it's just been easier to cut my hair real short and dress rather boy-ish. But seeing the girls be so made up and gorgeous looking does make me want to work on my appearance more and buy new clothes every once in a while. I've done some shopping twice this year... which is twice as much as I did last year so there's progress.
I started learning Japanese before I knew about AKB, but AKB helped me to stick with learning the language. I need to know what the blog posts say.
AKB48 inspires me to write songs! I started taking songwriting courses. I really want to write beautiful songs that most people love such as Oogoe Diamond or Heavy Rotation.
Geez, Silenka, I thought you were a guy [shock]. Anyways, AKB has inspired me to be even more of a girly guy . I was never into sports unlike other guys, being more interested in the entertainment section of newspapers [nod], and also somewhat of a herbivore male without a girlfriend . It has also prompted me to work and study even harder, seeing how hardworking the girls are, especially Mayuki, and on a miscellaneous note, resurrected my past affinity for J-pop [rock] , augmented my interest in anime and spurred me to slowly learn Japanese.
AKB has inspired me to learn more Japanese too Knowing the lyrics and their meanings really help in the learning process. Also, they have inspired me to attempt to eat more veggies after I saw the Yasai Sisters MV and their CMs.
akb48 has been a driving force to learn japanese for a lot of us. The most admirable fans are those who truly finish learning Japanese. I have learned japanese for 3 years but never been motivated. I still regret a lot.
Definitely inspired my Japanese! It's my best subject at school~ I really love it so I'm glad AKB48 could have inspired me to persist in my studies since I'm usually a lazy and unmotivated at everything. Also AKB48 have motivated me to try my best in whatever I do. I know they won't give up through anything so neither should I
