38,000 girls apply to join Shanghai sister group of AKB48
Entertainment ( 19 )
TOKYO —
Relations may be strained between Japan and China at the political level over the Senkaku islands, but in the field of arts and entertainment, it’s a very different story.
Chinese media reported Tuesday that approximately 38,000 girls from all over China have applied to become the first 16 members of SNH48, the sister group of mega-popular Japanese idol group AKB48. Applications began in early July and ended on Aug 30, Xinhua news agency reported.
A spokesman for SNH48’s office in Shanghai said that on the first day of applications, the official website crashed because too many people were trying to access it.
The spokesman said that interviews will be held this month in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to whittle the number down to 1,000 who will audition for the 16 available places by November. They will then hold their first live performance in December.
AKB48 already has sister groups called JKT48 (in Jakarta) and TPE48 (in Taipei).
Yasushi Akimoto, who created AKB48, said last month he was starting a “study abroad” program for his girls. Some of them will be sent abroad to spend a few months with their counterparts in Jakarta, Taipei and Shanghai.
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19 Comments
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2
my2sense
Calling it a virus would be mean. How they are pulling this off in Indonesia is beyond me with a muslim government but now a communist country with even stricter restrictions on flaunting flesh... I call it trouble now (minus the capitalism)... this is a future disaster. The Chinese tax officials watching every move of the slimy producers of this stuff and every yuan and yen will be scrutinized. Things will get outta hand and then they will throw their a**** out in a year tops or someone will get the can or a bullet for corruption. Mainland China... you guys are nuts.
5
gaijinfo
I'm fairly certain that any AKB fan or wanna be AKB sister group member would have trouble finding either country on a map, let alone describe the political tensions.
4
Dennis Bauer
SNH38000?
1
Wakarimasen
I guess this is better than most other jobs open to young women in China trading on their looks.
1
y3chome
if i could buy shares in AKB48 i would. cant stand them though, but as a business model, they seem to be doing well.
-5
Kobuta Chan
Please, send some of them to Melbourne. I'll good take care them.
0
nostromo
38,000?? I guess that means my application gets pushed way down the list....
0
titaniumdioxide
I just don't get this. Are they trying to build an empire?
0
southsakai
AKB48 is taking over the world. Rubbish music and this pop stuff is whack.
But anyways their music makes many people happy so I guess that's all that should matter. They got fans and their fans seems to be absolutely happy listening to them, and if people are happy. I'm happy for them!
But I don't get all these fully grown up men being their crazed fans, that's creepy and I'm not really cool with that.
How about you folks ?
-2
megosaa
SNH48.. stands for=Still No Hope?
-1
darknuts
What's with all these copy cats? How about originality?
0
sarcaustic
"Relations may be strained between Japan and China at the political level over the Senkaku islands, but in the field of arts and entertainment, it's a very different story."
What? You don't think that these girl groups hate each other? What a native statement.
0
Serrano
Excellent!
-1
Ishiwara
The Great East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, this time with miniskirts.
0
plasticmonkey
@sarcaustic -- Your reasoning is sound. The phylogenic account you offer is compelling. Nonetheless, this whole phenomenon makes me sick.
Wake me up when this is over.
1
sarcaustic
Say what you want, but some of those girls have talent. I don't follow AKB48, but I saw a TV segment in which one of the girls came out to an Enka singing show clad in kimono, and basically pwned the song. She then said that she liked Enka, and singers like Saburo Kitajima (whom I like a lot: so she scored big points with me there!).
I think it must have been 1995-born Misaki Iwasa, now evidently part of "team A". Search Youtube for her enka singing.
E.g.
watch?v=k3XKz63ODrw watch?v=0qq8ak3blRs
Check out the interview at the end of the second video. She talks like a woman, too.
One girl might not represent all of AKB48, but this one is the "real thing", and likely has good things in coming her way in her future after "graduating" from AKB48.
-1
genjuro
sarcaustic, you are correct, it's Wasamin (her nickname) who is known for her talent for Enka in AKB. In one of their shows they had a singing contest among the AKB members and she won 1st place. She just released her first Enka single a few months back, if memory serves.
Another great vocal talent in the group and my personal favorite is Masuda Yuka. I'm actually hoping she leaves the group soon as her voice is too good for AKB. Out of about a dozen members who auditioned for the Japanese stage version of the Wizard of Oz, she was the only one chosen to play Dorothy. Looking forward to hearing more from this girl.
1
Wolfpack
@Ishiwara:
Great observation. Had the Japanese used this tactic back in the 1930's they could be running the show in most of Asia by now.
-1
alliswellinjapan
Wonder why Johnny's Entertainment who seemed to have been on good terms with China through the SMAP relations and all does not seem to be doing much there in terms of launching local auditions and local version of Johnny's Junior. Completely aside from whether I consider it to be a good thing or not.
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