-
Idol singer mega-group AKB48 cancels annual General Election following string of scandals
投稿日 2019年3月14日 23:00:32 (ニュース)
-
続・お知らせ。海外セレブゴシップ&ニュース
-
お知らせ
-
We spot the legendary dekotora Aki Kannon, dedicated to actress and singer Aki Yashiro
-
New Pokémon GU collaboration dresses all the family, including babies for the first time
-
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
-
We’ve been doing it wrong – Japanese genius shows us how we should all be making sandwiches【Pics】
-
The future is now with full face sunglasses
-
Natto-infused ramen is a thing — we tried it, we love it【Taste test】
-
Jellyfish and Halloween in perfect harmony at Sumida Aquarium event
-
Japanese toilet paper collection opens our minds as we open our butts
-
Aomori police on the lookout for man shouting unsolicited advice at kids about dating and ramen
-
Former Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba get married… Wait, that didn’t come out right
-
Creator of Japan’s longest-running manga, Golgo 13, passes away, leaves fans one last gift
-
Crazy cheap cosplay at Daiso? How to transform into Dragon Ball’s Vegeta at the discount shop
-
7 Halloween-themed afternoon teas you won’t want to miss this year
-
Krispy Kreme Japan creates doughnut burgers that are a meal and two desserts all in one【Photos】
-
Get in the damn drift car, Shinji? Evangelion Tomika toy brings D1 machine home in miniature form
-
Demon Slayer Nichiren Blades ready for new duty: Slicing through your sweets as dessert knives
-
Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
-
The Japanese Internet chooses the top too-sexy-for-their-own-good male voices in anime
-
First-ever Studio Ghibli x Russell Athletic range pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro
-
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan announces first expansion with new Donkey Kong area
-
Cup Noodle pouch satisfies our never-ending need for instant ramen
-
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
-
How do Japanese fans feel about Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop opening sequence?
-
We try Uniqlo coffee at first-ever cafe inside Ginza flagship store
-
The number of elderly people in Japan this year has yet again smashed multiple records
-
Mr. Sato broadens his home drinking horizons at Kaldi【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
-
We try Japanese Twitter’s newest trend the Penguin Egg, end up hatching something very disturbing
-
Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too
Sponsored Link
Event will be skipped for the first time in 10 years, leaving fans to find some other way to throw money at their favorite idol units.
For idol singer fans in Japan, the biggest event of the year isn’t the release of a single or opening of a concert tour, but the AKB48 General Election. Since 2009, the annual poll has asked fans to vote for their favorite performer across top-tier idol supergroup AKB48 and its regional multi-vocalist sister acts, with the winner being crowned in a lavish, tear-filled ceremony.
The election usually takes place in mid-summer, but this year fans will have to make other plans for the warm months, as AKB48’s management has announced that there will be no election this year. This will be the first time for the event to not take place since its inaugural iteration in 2009.
A notice posted to AKB48’s official blog reads:
“Thank you for your continued support of the AKB48 group.
This year, we have decided not to hold the AKB48 General Election, an annual event that reached its 10-year milestone last year.
The AKB48 group will be dedicating itself every day to being the sort of group that all fans can cheer for from the bottom of their hearts.
We ask for, and look forward to, your continued support of the AKB48 group.”
▼ Previous election photos
AKB総選挙とは・・・
私にとってはあの7万人のまゆゆコールが全て。
でもホンマに残酷・・・どれだけみんな辛い思いをしたんだろう・・・
そこから常にプレッシャーと戦い貫いた麻友ちゃんを私は心の底から尊敬します。
いつも麻友ち… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
—
きりん (@beehakirin) March 13, 2019
No reason has been given for the decision, though some might be tempted to attribute it to the relative lack of variety in the election’s winners. Over the course of 10 years, only five idols have risen to the top, with Rino Sashihara, of Fukuoka-based HKT48, winning four times, including thrice in a row (2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017). However, the General Election hasn’t ever really been about surprises and suspense. Fans obtain ballots by purchasing CDs and other merchandise, and the election is a major revenue source as the hardest of the hardcore idol supporters buy in bulk in order to pad the ballot box with votes for their personal favorite idol.
▼ Rino Sashihara
19時30分からNHKうたコン久しぶりに出演します!
Sponsored Link
ジワるDAYS初披露☺️💗
みくりんはなとランチ🙆♀️ https://t.co/1H8XYftQHl
—
指原 莉乃 (@345__chan) March 12, 2019
The more plausible speculation is that AKS, the company that manages AKB48 and its affiliated acts, has been under heavy criticism since the start of the year. In January, Maho Yamaguchi, an idol with Niigata-based NGT48 (whose members have been eligible for the AKB48 General Election since 2016) revealed that she’d been stalked and attacked as she attempted to enter her home and that NGT48’s management had covered the incident up for a month. She then appeared in front of fans to apologize for “causing a commotion,” followed by NGT48’s then-manager Etsuro Imamura stepping down from the position and being reassigned to the Tokyo office.
▼ Maho Yamaguchi
昨日は珍しくハーフアップだったなー
今日も歯医者。3日連続歯医者🦷(笑) https://t.co/Qy70e4hzoz
—
山口真帆 (@maho_yamaguchi) November 29, 2018
Things were then relatively quiet for a while, but last week Takahiro Hosoi, manager of the Akihabara theater in which AKB48 holds regular concerts, tweeted a picture of himself and Imamura knocking back drinks together in a pub, along with the message “Don’t be fooled by stupid reports,” implying that the criticism of how Imamura handled the attack on Yamaguchi was unjustified. During the ensuing backlash, AKS announced that it has terminated Imamura’s contract, and that Hosoi has resigned from the company.
With all of that swirling around in the background, and the timing of the announcement that there will be no General Election this year, it seems like AKS thinks it would be best to keep a lower profile for a while. However, it seems significant that the statement specifically says there will be no election “this year,” leaving the door open for voting, and the revenue it brings in, to return in the future.
Source: AKB48 official blog via Hachima Kiko, Yahoo! Japan News/Oricon News via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Source: SORA NEWS24
Sponsored Link
最新情報