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INTEREST: AKB48's Atsuko Maeda Wants to Study Abroad in New York


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Banken



Joined: 29 May 2007
Posts: 1281
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:12 am Reply with quote
I caught bits of her solo at the graduation concert on news...

She's basically got what I'd call "half-decent karaoke" level singing skills... it's a good thing she's not working on a solo career.

AKB is all cuteness and very little talent... and they all look the same to me... but that's because they were all chosen by the same dude, so obviously his tastes go a long way. But that's the magical thing about what is basically a band the size of a choir... if you put enough mediocre singers together, you can make passable music.

That said, I'd still hit that.
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PseudoFiction



Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 97
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:55 am Reply with quote
Does that mean she wants to earn a degree? Are these girls young enough to still be considered students?[/quote]
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Sunday Silence



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:11 am Reply with quote
And the greater tri-state area ronery otaku give a collective "YES!!" response.....
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Banken



Joined: 29 May 2007
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:11 am Reply with quote
She's only like 22 and she has enough money to do whatever the hell she wants for the rest of her life, I'd say earning a degree is pretty respectable.

Some of the girls are as young as 14 IIRC.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14889
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:20 am Reply with quote
Banken wrote:
She's only like 22 and she has enough money to do whatever the hell she wants for the rest of her life,


Most of the money goes to the production agency that employed them as hired workers, with the rest of the pie divided amongst them.
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soul.assassin



Joined: 09 May 2011
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:29 am Reply with quote
Banken wrote:
AKB is all cuteness and very little talent... and they all look the same to me... but that's because they were all chosen by the same dude, so obviously his tastes go a long way. But that's the magical thing about what is basically a band the size of a choir... if you put enough mediocre singers together, you can make passable music.

That said, I'd still hit that.


I disagree. They may be dressed in the same colors but each of them is a unique individual. What makes them salable is their imperfection -- they're more like the simple, homely girl next door than supermodels or Whitney Houston wannabes.

To the rest: sure you guys could go on and talk just how ugly and manufactured the idol industry is, along with some recollections of Perfect Blue, but let's face it, Maeda earned her keep and managed to stay intact professionally in more than seven years despite controversies and some of her fellows screwing up on their own.
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omegaproxy





PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:06 am Reply with quote
I was wondering why one of the back street of Akihabara had a long line of people. I guess this was why.
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Banken



Joined: 29 May 2007
Posts: 1281
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:30 am Reply with quote
enurtsol wrote:
Banken wrote:
She's only like 22 and she has enough money to do whatever the hell she wants for the rest of her life,


Most of the money goes to the production agency that employed them as hired workers, with the rest of the pie divided amongst them.



Quote:

I disagree. They may be dressed in the same colors but each of them is a unique individual. What makes them salable is their imperfection -- they're more like the simple, homely girl next door than supermodels or Whitney Houston wannabes.

To the rest: sure you guys could go on and talk just how ugly and manufactured the idol industry is, along with some recollections of Perfect Blue, but let's face it, Maeda earned her keep and managed to stay intact professionally in more than seven years despite controversies and some of her fellows screwing up on their own.


You are incredibly naive. It's all an act, all presented for the consumption of the unwashed masses. Why do you think they aren't allowed to date? Because good girls don't date? No, it's because the entire franchise is aimed largely at people so misogynistic and pathetic that even a hint that their idols aren't both pure and available will drive them into a literal rage. Well, those people and children.

The fact that a couple hundred girls were chosen out of hundreds of thousands of candidates, yet none of them can't sing that well, and none of them are less than adorable means that AKB isn't a music group, it's just a way to make money.

A large number of the girls have had plastic surgery, and I guarantee all of them had had extensive coaching on how to behave on TV.

I do admit the fact that she hasn't ended up in any major scandals does seem almost miraculous, but geez, how hard could it be to keep your nose out of trouble for a mere six-seven years in the business? The reason she's quitting now is probably so she doesn't have to worry about it anymore.
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casualfan



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 333
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 9:42 am Reply with quote
Banken wrote:
enurtsol wrote:
Banken wrote:
She's only like 22 and she has enough money to do whatever the hell she wants for the rest of her life,


Most of the money goes to the production agency that employed them as hired workers, with the rest of the pie divided amongst them.



Quote:

I disagree. They may be dressed in the same colors but each of them is a unique individual. What makes them salable is their imperfection -- they're more like the simple, homely girl next door than supermodels or Whitney Houston wannabes.

To the rest: sure you guys could go on and talk just how ugly and manufactured the idol industry is, along with some recollections of Perfect Blue, but let's face it, Maeda earned her keep and managed to stay intact professionally in more than seven years despite controversies and some of her fellows screwing up on their own.


You are incredibly naive. It's all an act, all presented for the consumption of the unwashed masses. Why do you think they aren't allowed to date? Because good girls don't date? No, it's because the entire franchise is aimed largely at people so misogynistic and pathetic that even a hint that their idols aren't both pure and available will drive them into a literal rage. Well, those people and children.

The fact that a couple hundred girls were chosen out of hundreds of thousands of candidates, yet none of them can't sing that well, and none of them are less than adorable means that AKB isn't a music group, it's just a way to make money.

A large number of the girls have had plastic surgery, and I guarantee all of them had had extensive coaching on how to behave on TV.

I do admit the fact that she hasn't ended up in any major scandals does seem almost miraculous, but geez, how hard could it be to keep your nose out of trouble for a mere six-seven years in the business? The reason she's quitting now is probably so she doesn't have to worry about it anymore.


Music industry is just another form of business, so they do what they can to earn money.
AKB48 also has tons of female fans, not just the otaku.
And I believe the Johnny's idols (male idols) aren't allowed to date either, so it's not exclusively girl idols's policy to abstain from dating.
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soul.assassin



Joined: 09 May 2011
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:07 am Reply with quote
Banken: Laughing I'll leave you there as you whine about the lack of "real music".
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:12 am Reply with quote
Banken wrote:
I do admit the fact that she hasn't ended up in any major scandals does seem almost miraculous, but geez, how hard could it be to keep your nose out of trouble for a mere six-seven years in the business? The reason she's quitting now is probably so she doesn't have to worry about it anymore.

I agree that it SHOULDN'T be difficult, but apparently it is. Just ask any of the American child stars or professional athletes that couldn't do it despite the millions of dollars they make.

I've thought from the beginning that Maeda is probably the best "performer" of the group. Takahashi Minami seemed to be the one that wanted to be a "real singer" when they started, but Maeda seemed to be the one that WANTED to be the "fan favorite" (however that had to go), and to her credit, she succeeded at that.
(For comparison, I look at it that way because I remember the first "Making the Band" group O-Town when the "cute" lead overhauled his look because he wanted to be taken "seriously" as a musician (while still in that boy-band) and not be compared to Justin Timberlake (who he initially did resemble fairly well), I have to wonder now if he had it all to do over again if he'd choose differently)
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TJ_Kat



Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 420
Location: Saskatoon, Canada
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:55 am Reply with quote
soul.assassin wrote:

To the rest: sure you guys could go on and talk just how ugly and manufactured the idol industry is, along with some recollections of Perfect Blue, but let's face it, Maeda earned her keep and managed to stay intact professionally in more than seven years despite controversies and some of her fellows screwing up on their own.


I'm glad you bring up Perfect Blue, because Satoshi Kon said it best, "...the Japanese also have a culture in which B-grade idols are manipulated." Key words: B-grade idols, and manipulated.
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maxxjulie



Joined: 09 Mar 2005
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 1:40 pm Reply with quote
Banken wrote:
talent... and they all look the same to me... but that's because they were all chosen by the same dude, so obviously his tastes go a long way.


huh? they all look the same to you because they are all japanese and all japanese look the same? that has to be what you're saying because there is no other explanation for your stupid comment. the top girls of the group that get 99% of the camera time all look nothing alike. it's impossible to confuse them with each other. wtf are you talking about? do black guys look the same to you too? must make watching sports a real pain.
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Greboruri



Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 387
Location: QBN, NSW, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:51 pm Reply with quote
Banken wrote:
A large number of the girls have had plastic surgery,

Where's the evidence for this?
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oblivious247



Joined: 16 Oct 2011
Posts: 242
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:23 pm Reply with quote
Greboruri wrote:
Banken wrote:
A large number of the girls have had plastic surgery,

Where's the evidence for this?


Better question, why does it even matter? For most fans of idol groups it goes beyond the physical attractiveness of the idol in question. The personality they present (real or totally fabricated) is the long term draw for idol fans. Why do we need to delve into someone's past and ask WHY they're attractive? The stigma against plastic surgery is every bit as shallow as the need to get it for purely cosmetic reasons.
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