Subpar AKB48 performance in Thailand earns scalding remarks from netizens

Feb 09, 2018 | News On Japan

Feb 09, 2018 (rocketnews24.com) - AKB48 is a massively successful â€œidol groupâ€ made up of more than 100 girls and young women.

Their popularity stems from the concept of â€œidols you can meetâ€, and with some of their CDs fans can receive a ticket that admits them to a â€œhandshake eventâ€ with different members. Needless to say, diehard fans buy multiple copies so they can get multiple tickets, so that they can shake an idolâ€™s hand multiple times, and thatâ€™s part of the reason why AKB48 has dominated the sales charts and become such a cultural phenomenon, in spite of the fact that some would say they arenâ€™t very good at singing or dancing. Despite their unrivaled success in Japan, they arenâ€™t quite so popular in other parts of Asia. Last year, after performing alongside Korean female idol groups, who are known for their intense choreography and strong vocals, they were heavily criticized by Korean and even Japanese netizens for their subpar performance. Unfortunately, in netizensâ€™ eyes, they donâ€™t seem to have improved, as just last week, foreign spectators were disappointed with the groupâ€™s performance at Japan Expo Thailand 2018. Serving as the main event of the Expo, which invited a lot of Japanese celebrities, six members of the group performed seven of their most popular songs, including "Aitakatta", "Heavy Rotation", and "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie". Afterwards, their Bangkok sister group, BNK48, joined them on stage and performed a song together with them, before a short Q&A session with fans. Despite this portrayal of their best, fans were not impressed. After the performance, Thai attendees were apparently heard to remark things like, "It didn't look any better than an elementary school talent show," and "Did they really have to sing?" Serving as the main event of the Expo, which invited a lot of Japanese celebrities, six members of the group performed seven of their most popular songs, including "Aitakatta", "Heavy Rotation", and "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie". Afterwards, their Bangkok sister group, BNK48, joined them on stage and performed a song together with them, before a short Q&A session with fans. Despite this portrayal of their best, fans were not impressed. After the performance, Thai attendees were apparently heard to remark things like, "It didn't look any better than an elementary school talent show," and "Did they really have to sing?"

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