Feb 09 (rocketnews24.com) - AKB48 is a massively successful “idol group†made up of more than 100 girls and young women.
Their popularity stems from the concept of “idols you can meetâ€, and with some of their CDs fans can receive a ticket that admits them to a “handshake event†with different members. Needless to say, diehard fans buy multiple copies so they can get multiple tickets, so that they can shake an idol’s hand multiple times, and that’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 aren’t very good at singing or dancing. Despite their unrivaled success in Japan, they aren’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 netizens’ eyes, they don’t seem to have improved, as just last week, foreign spectators were disappointed with the group’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?"
