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Posted by: kirin on Dec 13th, 2011 | Filed under: What's New?
It’s not too much to say that there’s no day I don’t see AKB48. They are on TV, posters, everywhere… I think most of us are already fed up with that. But there’s no wonder they are everywhere!
AKB48 released a new single “Uekara Mariko” which already has been selling over 1.199 million copies within the first week. AKB48 has been so successful they have the most million-seller single titles among female singers in Japan. All 5 single titles they released in 2011 are sold over million copies.
Uekara Mariko (released 7th Dec. 2011) 1.199 million copies sold in the first week
Kaze wa fuiteiru (released 26th Oct. 2011) 1.30 million copies
Flying Get (released 24th Aug. 2011) 1.354 million copies
Everyday, Kachusha (released 25th May. 2011) 1.334 million copies
Sakura no ki ni narou (released 16th Feb. 2011) 0.94 million copies
Other female singers with their single titles of million sales.
“Can You Keep A Secret?” Utada Hikaru (2001)
“Can You Celebrate?” Amuro Namie (1997)
“Independent” Hamasaki Ayumi (2002)
I’m just amazed at how AKB48 is doing well, while on the other hand, I hope AKB should not dominate the Japanese music industry and Oricon chart… BTW, AKB48 is such a popular idol group in Japan but you can actually see and shake hands with them in person if you visit AKB48 theater in Akihabara. They are the idols you can visit. That’s their unique concept, and that’s how they became popular from Akihabara to the world.
Yay! Apple’s post! She’s sharing a very fun way to learn Japanese. ^ ^
===Apple’s post starts from here===
I’ve been playing a rather interesting PSP game recently!
AKB 1/48: If I Loved an Idol
I’m sure all of you know who AKB48 is. It’s impossible not to know. They are EVERYWHERE!
But just in case you were living in a cave for the past few years, AKB48 is a Japanese female idol group advertised as “idols you can meet”. They have their own performing theater in Akihabara (thus the group name AKB, the short form for Akiba, which is a short form for Akihabara) where fans can see them live everyday. The group is huge and split into 4 teams, Team A, Team K, Team B, and Team 4.
Anyway, I have never really got into the AKB48 craze because I was a fan of Morning Musume! Hahaha! And if you were a fan of Morning Musume like me too, and you compare the looks of AKB48 members with the looks of Morning Musume…(sorry to be shallow again!) don’t you think members of Morning Musume are so much more cuter???
And 48 members are just crazy (actually, even more if you add in Team 4′s members. I have no idea what Team 4 is for, I’m sorry!)! I heard from my friend that they change the members frequently too. I looked at their poster and I couldn’t even find one that I thought was really cute. Many of them also looked like each other. (Fans, please don’t bite me!)
And then…one day, I chanced upon a random Youtube video about this PSP game!
This game was actually released last year (Ok, so I was living in a cave like you too after all. Hahaha!), and it’s a dating fantasy game!!!!
It sure does to me! I’ve always wanted to play a dating simulation game and see how it’s like! And this! You get 48 real-life characters who are very popular idols and…and they all like you and want to be with you! Now, the difficult part is…to choose only one of them!!!
This game is very obviously marketed to their male fans, but what attracted me to this game was to see what the girls would say, and how they would confess their love!
I have to admit there were some highly Moe scenes where what they say and how they say it will make your heart go DOKYUN! I was playing the game and thinking, “Omg…it’s impossible not to fall in love with her if she says such things, right???”
So, girls, if you are interested at all, you can learn such high love techniques from playing this game. Hahaha! Also, for the first time in my life, I could see a girl clearly from a guy’s perspective.
For example, I could see what would make a guy shy, what would make the guy pissed off etc. It’s a very interesting experience! Haha!
Anyway, while playing the game, I was a little bit upset because I could clearly feel who this game is expecting the player to be!!
I was not some handsome, suave, cool guy! I was an otaku who don’t know what purikura machines are, who hesitates to step into an expensive-looking restaurant, who collects anime figurines, who probably don’t have a good sense of style (some of the girls tried to give me an image change), who goes to AKB’s handshake sessions during my free time, who collects their pictures as a hobby…
(Click on picture to learn more about Otakus!)
Sigh!
So uncool!
When I started playing this game, I was so amused and excited. It was definitely interesting to ‘go out’ with a girl and see the various ways they try to make you like her. Also, for students of the Japanese language, this is an excellent way to learn Japanese!
There are subtitles along with the voice of the idol you are going out with. So you can learn lots of Japanese from playing this game.
Obviously, when it’s your turn to respond to what is being said, there is no voice speaking your lines. So, as learners of the Japanese language, it is normal to speak the lines out yourself, right? To practise speaking it. So that was what I did.
And after speaking my line, the idol would respond in her voice as well, so it was like having a real conversation with her. Haha! I was playing this in the living room, and my brother looked at me as though there was something wrong with me, and my friend said, “You look like those typical fanboys imagining that these girls are really really talking to you and being really happy about it.”
Yes I have to admit that I was smiling when I got a good ending date with a particular idol, and swearing/became sad when I responded wrongly and broke a heart of an idol I was going out with. (After you break anyone’s heart, you will not get to ask her out for dates again.)
So, yes, pretty crazy. Haha!
I haven’t really explained how the game works, have I? Sorry! >”<
So the game is like this:
You have a chance to be with any of the AKB48 girls, but you can only choose one. Who will you choose?
Good luck to you. Hahaha!
You are presented with 48 contacts in your phone and you can begin the game by calling one of them to ask them out for a date. (Profiles of each member are given. So if you didn’t know them before, you can study their profiles to better decide who you would love to go out with.)
Once you call up any one of them, you get to go out with them. There are many different places that you will find yourself in: Cafe, shopping street, zakka shop, amusement park, high-class restaurant, park, museum, outside their event venue, their neighborhood, your apartment, aquarium, movie theatre, beach…to name a few.
And each member has their own personality and dialogues so it’s pretty interesting. You get to respond to them by choosing from usually 3 options. You can make them very happy or heartbroken from how you choose to respond.
Oh! She may get angry too! Why you so late!
Finally, one day, one of the members would give a very strong hint that she wants to confess her love to you. You can choose first whether you agree to go to wherever she wants to confess her love at. If you agree to meet her at that place, both of you will be meeting at that place the next day, and there would be a full video of her confessing her love to you (which is very interesting as well! My favorite so far happened at the school rooftop), to which you can accept her love or reject it!
If you accept it, she will be very very happy and she would even give you a hug at the end of the video game and thank you for choosing her!
If you reject, she will be very sad and a sad song (from AKB48 of course!) would be played in the background. Hahaha!
And I take back my words about AKB48 having no cute members! There were indeed very cute members! Here are my favourites after playing this game!
Itano Tomomi is just unbelievable.
I’ve always admired girls who look good in short hair! Mariko Shinoda!
She’s the one who confessed on the school rooftop!!! Sumire Sato!
Are you interested in this game??? Would you want to play it? ^^
I wish there was a game like this marketed towards girls too (I know it exists but I particularly want members of SHINee in the game!! HAHAHA!).
Anyway, have you tried such games before? Recommend nice ones!! Share your game experience!! I’m also aware that such games can become very boring in a short period of time (after all, it’s just talking, talking, talking), but I find it a very fun way to learn natural spoken Japanese!
If you’re a fan of AKB48…let me know who you would love to go out with too! I might have a surprise for you…Haha!
Thank you Apple!
===Kirin’s opinion===
AKB48 has become so successful and popular that I almost forgot the fact that they started from Akihabara with the concept that “idols you can meet” a few years ago. Now they are popular among girls and everywhere in Japan. Their yearly election (popularity contest) is such an exciting event that Japanese entertainment TV programs should not miss. What do you think of AKB48 and their date game? I liked how Apple uses it as a tool to improve her Japanese. Good job, Apple!!
Akiba (Akihabara) has been developing with moe businesses. Is it true there are fashionable people hanging out in Akiba, the forefront of “moe”? They maybe cosplaying like a character from Kuroshitsuji mixed with Shibuya style. “Nowadays girls who like ageha or Shibuya fashion possibly like anime as well.” It’s true, young people in Akihabara have become fashionable today.
Hikari is a high school model who belongs to popteen. She is a gyaru who likes anime and akiba. She loves mixed style with Shibuya gyaru fashion and anime taste. Her Death Note style cosplay for example looks so cute.
AKB48 is a Japanese idol group born in Akiba. Their fashion influences Japanese fashion industry. In autumn 2010, red checkered skirt or school uniform worn by AKB48 was a big hit. “We always pay attention to AKB48 and their fashion.” Even one of the most famous gyaru fashion brands Cecil McBee cannot ignore them.
Hayano-san is a special fashion stylist who designs AKB’s costumes. She has experiences of styling Morning Musume‘s costume before. When she designs AKB’s costumes, she makes it from scratch and one by one for each member. 35cm from below the knees is the ideal length of skirt that makes legs thinner and longer, according to her.
Mr. Ikki and Beni-chan decided to visit a maid cafe “Maidreamin” among over 50 maid cafes in Akihabara. It was their first time visit to a maid cafe. Usatan parfait (800yen) is the most popular sweets in this cafe that sells 50 daily. This parfait is so popular as to be introduced with other famous sweets created by famous patisssiers in a book. The maids give special magic when the customers eat this parfait. It’s just embarrassing but this magic has some psychological effect. The more the customers feel embarrassed, the more they feel content.
Akiba Top Sweet is a maid cafe that targets businessmen. Its atmosphere is different from ordinary maid cafe. There’s no magic, no embarrassment, but the maids just serve the customers elegantly. Some play piano. The sweets are also gorgeous.
Nadeshiko Sushi is a famous moe sushi bar where female sushi chefs in their 19-25 make kawaii sushi such as deco sushi rolls. However it’s not a casual restaurant, because these chefs are instructed by a 35-year experienced professional sushi chef who chose Akiba to open his sushi restaurant so he can have more foreign customers visiting from around the world.
Speaking of Akiba souvenirs, electric appliances or canned meals have been popular. But lately cosplay purikura (cospri) is also popular. Kotobukiya is a store of anime character goods and figures that is supported by foreign tourists. They have over 30,000 items but the “shobon” emoticon cushion is top-selling item that is purchased 600 daily.
Felissimo is a major mail-order sales company in Kobe. Their new business is to make clothing from manga. “Clover” is a manga that targets working women and is sold over 8 million copies in Japan. It was a big hit when they manufactured a dress that the heroine wears in the manga. It’s part of their work to read manga at work. They find clothes from manga they think good for merchandise. However it’s not always easy. Even though they design clothes from manga, they do not always look good on humans. Then, they will have to arrange the samples little by little.
27-year-old moe woman is an owner of a Wotagei live bar in Akiba. Wotagei (Otagei) is a unique performance especially given by the fans of Akiba idols. This Wotagei live bar is very popular in Akihabara and there are 40+ idols who may appear on the stage. The cool thing is the idols serve the customers by themselves after the show is over. The fans who are excited to see the Akiba idols are more likely to buy the CDs of the idols.
Otaku can be a main stream in the near future!?
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Kirin’s opinion:
I’ve never tried a maid cafe yet and I don’t feel like spending extra money for extra magic service or being called “Ojo-sama” (lady or madam). It’s the good atmosphere and good music rather than this kind of funny things that makes me feel good.
Speaking of Akiba idols, they are the idols we can see and talk in person. Otaku boys may not be proactive enough to ask a woman to go out for a date. They are likely to get passionate about Akiba idols, anime and game characters or dolls and figures rather than a real woman. That’s why Otaku is considered weird, scary and minor in Japanese society but they can be just too shy and pure if looked at from differnt angle. ^ ^;
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Posted by: kirin on 
Dec 13th, 2011 | 
Filed under: What's New?
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