Fresh Idols -AKG48
One of the great things about Japan, if you are a fan of Idols pop groups is that we have idols in every prefecture of the country. The amount of female idols is so great that you simply cannot count them or cover them all.
With the success of AKB48 there has been a boom in idol groups , much like when Morning Musume got hot ,however as they slipped so did media interest in the genre . Now the genre is undergoing a new fresh unit media revival and if you are an owner of a new company or a bunch of girls doing your own lives, there is no better time then now thanks to AKB48, to start a fresh idol unit.
With each new rise in the genre comes groups that you can call "inspired by" .This current inspiration is from AKB48 ,which has a very profitable working model .
One of these "inspired by" groups is Gunma`s AKG48 . Now before AKB48 Western fans march to Gunma with axe in hand ,AKG48 full name is `Akagi48` ,Akagi is a well known mountain in Gunma .The 48 as you can guess is the number of members [if you count trainees the number is 100] .
AKG48 aims to not only be the top unit in Gunma , but also someday face AKB48 as equals .
To start this mission the group is leaving the comforts of Gunma and have started their advance on Tokyo with “Akagi no Megumi AKG48 Matsuri” at “Gunmachanchi“. Gunmachanchi is a store in Ginza ,Tokyo that sells goods from Gunma .
Team G the main unit of AKG48 are leading this charge by holding live events outside the store.
AKG48 is very much a new and fresh unit ,having only started in March ,when a local audition allowed their parent company Oriental Japan to select 100 girls on first audition. After training for two months that included and still includes going through vocal and dance lessons three to five times a week ,they made their official debut .
AKG48 along with their regular lives also perform lives at welfare centers and other events such as television work and promoting local tourism spots .
If you are an AKB48 fan and are already rejecting this unit ,for whatever reason ,that would be a mistake to do so.
Today there are 100`s of AKB48 inspired units currently in operation and each one of these units brings a specialness to the genre and to their base of operations that deserves to be seen as their own style .
http://www.color-g.jp/akg/pc/gmember.html
http://www.color-g.jp/akg/pc/
Member HP
AKG48 currently has one single “Knee High☆Lover” and as you can expect from new units have a number of AKB48 covers in their live set. There is nothing wrong with that as it takes time to build a live set of originals.
[Note-Wotas do not care if groups sing covers ]
Other local activities
The masked group with AKG is a Gunma TV show ,like Sentai Rangers ,not very big budget stuff .
AKBNO, and now this... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of groups these days with the goal of surpassing AKB. And that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that. But when your being obvious about it, it's not cute. at all. Their outfits are really nice! But totally AKB inspired and un-original. Even worse, they are covering AKB songs and their name is just AKB48 with a few letters changed!!
If you want to surpass AKB, the way to do it isn't being a copycat.
SUPER☆GiRLS also stated they wanted to surpass AKB48. But at least SUPER☆GiRLS has a UNIQUE name (that doesn't include the letters "AKB" and random numbers attached) and original songs; their latest single has almost 1 million views which is really good for a group that only has 2 singles. That's why I support them and not groups like AKBNO and AKG48
Sorry, I sound like a stuck up brat, but I hate when groups make it PLAINLY obvious that they are trying to be like AKB.
I agree with Candy.
ReplyDeleteCopycats are leeches; an illness to the market. No wonder Aki-P is creating his own rival.
They are not copycats, leeches, or an illness to the genre .AKG48 has received nothing but positive press and encouragement in our media, now that they have entered Tokyo.
ReplyDeleteAKB48 did not invent the concept of having three letters and a number as your name, wearing school uniforms, performing in theaters. Idol genre has been around since the 60`s, There have been many groups since the 60`s that used that concept.
Nothing in this genre is original, not AKB48, not Morning Musume, H!P or any Indie .Every group or agency has taken something from groups that came before them .
No offense was intended by my comment , just clearing up some misunderstood facts in the post.
ReplyDeleteI knew this was going to be a hard group to get past the site ,lol. PIH needs to have a vent day ,lol . [Maybe H!P can be next],lol
don't worry I wasnt' offended and I'm the one who called them leeches.
ReplyDeleteI agree most of the stuff are reinvented and not created, but not SOO obviously like this one. It's called a rip-off.
Yeah, I wasn't offended either, I'm the one who called them copycats. But I never thought of it that way, that all idol groups are reusing the same concept, your kind of right about that. But I still think this group is a painfully obvious rip off of AKB... I mean, they have no originality.
ReplyDelete@ Candy and Anon that I agree with . lol .Sometimes agencies take the easy road and just say ok lets be AKB V2 instead of inspiration to bring originality.
ReplyDeleteThe most original idols are the Indies that for the most part are just girls who got together to sing and manage themselves or have out of the box open minded owners.
I have Indie Idol company, so I really understand and share your originality frustrations.
Groups that I find inspiring in a number of ways are groups that are not the AKB styles
I find groups like Paradise Go!! Go!! , Yellow Generation, SweetS, Buzy, inspiring.
PGG
http://youtu.be/Xov8eJ5ycBk , Buzy http://youtu.be/SbqoMKlvznQ ,
YG http://youtu.be/enCMWGJJxV4 ,
As a idol fan I am about burn out on H!P and the 48`s. Ready for the next generation to rise up.
I will post a group today that is 100% rebels to the idol stereotype so look out for it.
You may want to do a search on a video I will talk about , but can`t post.
How can AKB48 let them get away with this though? Isn't there some sort of copyright infringement going on here??
ReplyDeleteThey have not broken any laws for being inspired .All bands are inspired by someone or something.
ReplyDeleteThe uniforms are made fashionable in anime and manga .There was an anime on last night forget the name but the girls uniforms were 100% the same as AKG48
The school uniform group image is a big turn on to some sections of the wota lifestyle.
Cover songs- the owners of the songs and bands /groups get paid royalties every time they are used at a paid event
I don`t think AKG48 are doing anything wrong and that was not why I wrote about them, to me they are just another new group to show readers.
[Man we need a message board for times like this, lol]
Actually what cheeses me off about this group is not so much that they are covering AKB48 songs. I figure AkiP might have granted permission anyway because it still adds up as publicity for AKB anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like is how they're just blatantly lip-syncing to AKB48's recording instead of making their own. Its disconcerting to hear Acchan's voice when she's not actually present. SKE covers AKB songs too in their performances but they at least have the decency to use their own voices.
Well I'm interested in them. Thnx for sharing and will u be covering them again in the future?
ReplyDelete@ Kiryu ,unless things change ,we plan to keep an eye on them and see what they are up to and write about them.
ReplyDelete