picture of the day

Watchful eyes

38 Comments

A poster of AKB48 hangs above a concourse at Akihabara Station in Tokyo. AKB48 is named after Akihabara, where the group's own theater is located.

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38 Comments
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Surprised how many copy groups sprang up all over Asia/South East Asia (JKT48, etc) and are over-taking AKB48 in sales in their home-countries.

Report on it right now on TV.

Guess all those fans are also sick bastiches. As were the guys drooling over "virgin" Britney Spears, etc, etc.

Youth and sex sells there is no going around that, the ol' T&A drive most sales.

-1 ( +1 / -3 )

When did I ever mention any of those people as positive role models? Go ahead and keep changing the topic.

My point was about the fetishization of underage girls (or girls who are made to look underage) as commodities. If you and LH10 think that's fine, both of you are sick.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

No musician can be put up as a role model really.Look at all the past heros.Elvis lost to drugs and over eating! Micheal Jackson,even the Beatles off smoking weed man!

Female role models,rather AKB than Dirty Americans like Brittney or Christina! Maybe you prefer Lady Gaga or the sad loss of Amy Winehouse.Things seem as bleak in the past with ABBA and their emotional baggage,earlier still the most perfect vocalist Karen Carpenter passing.

Kurt Cobain's loss,the whole endless list of Rock Stars lost to car crashes and drowned in their own vomit took so many talented musicians from us.I honestly shake my head at this role model argument.

Thanks for the support LH10

0 ( +2 / -2 )

yeah!! rock on supercross1985! boo to mr. monkey

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

some are just bitter

No, some are just concerned about the societal impact of selling young girls as sex objects, and the mentality that believes whatever makes money is good.

The AKB model is all about the girls.

You said it right there. Presenting young girls as pre-packaged objects of fetishized desire. And that you have no problem with that shows the deleterious effect of this "business model".

I say just embrace it all.It may be painful at first to your trained ear,but these girls charm and smiles grow on you.

That's right. Don't think too much. Just give yourself over to whatever idiocy happens to be popular. Forget about the cultivation of substantive and thoughtful art or expression. And forget about whether the media machine is right or wrong. They're making money, and the girls are smiling. Hooray for popular!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Yeah LH10,some are just bitter.It is so easy to criticise.I agree non fans may have suffered over exposure.But the AKB franchise is not concerned with those who don't get it.They are a great success for the fans,and as a business model.

Everyone in the industry is seeing them sell every single in the millions.Tsunku-san over at H!P now supports bigger groups,Indie Idols,and will open his first theme restaurant now.New groups like Tower Records backed LinQ,Stardusts Momoiro Clover Z (they are building a huge following) Add in BiS, Dorothy Little Happy,and so many more all wanting part of this growing market,and what we have is the opposite to the shrinking music industry in the West.

Yes I know the West has suffered from illegal downloads,the loss of music promotion.Here in the UK we have no more Top of the Pops TV show.People retreat into there own iPod worlds with personal playlists.Add in youth more interested in console games and it is just hard work for the music industry.

The AKB model is all about the girls.The fans support their favourite Idol.The handshake events,the merchandise is more important than the music.To see the live shows,TV shows,streamed events,and now interact with them on Google + is a departure from the music industry standard.I do not think of them as just a Pop group because they are not.

The amazing days of seeing Queen,Rolling Stones,Guns n Roses,Nirvana.The list goes on and on ,and they are Epic and supremely talented.It is sad that era may have passed.I think their huge concerts where a high point,but the world is changing.Maybe JPop and KPop are selling style over substance,but for the fans this matters little.It's about being in the moment and enjoying it.Lady Gaga to me is style over substance,but see her perform live is magic.I say just embrace it all.It may be painful at first to your trained ear,but these girls charm and smiles grow on you.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

WHAT THE HELL!!! why do ppl hate akb48?!!! you all jealous or something?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Angels to watch over us. &( __ )& Go to your nearest 7/11 and buy a nice AKB48 Christmas cake.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I very much doubt Lunchbox is 'outraged'. Also, there is a pretty big difference between a picture advertising something and a picture of an something being advertised. A picture of an ad is not the same as advertising itself. If I take a picture of a ridiculous JT smoking ad showing it makes you muscular and show it to my friends for a laugh do you think I'm trying to sell them smokes? No... I'm pointing out the societal differences in advertising campaigns, etc.

Umm. OK. I guess. Didn't quite follow your reasoning there, but... So which is this? A picture advertising something or a picture of something being advertised? My stance is that if you take a picture of an advertisement and publish the picture, then you are perpetuating the advertisement regardless of your actual intentions. This particular picture wouldn't meet that definition, however. I can't tell from the photo because the poster extends to the photo's borders, but from what I CAN see there's no product being advertised on the poster. It's just a photo of a subset of the AKB48 ensemble from the waist-up.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They should put Fukushima 50 there instead of AKB48.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What's an AKB48?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A pop culture of Japan, here you go!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Эти глаза напротив...

Tell me, are they SO bad? And WHY they are so bad?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Fadamor: "So what's with this sudden outrage?"

I very much doubt Lunchbox is 'outraged'. Also, there is a pretty big difference between a picture advertising something and a picture of an something being advertised. A picture of an ad is not the same as advertising itself. If I take a picture of a ridiculous JT smoking ad showing it makes you muscular and show it to my friends for a laugh do you think I'm trying to sell them smokes? No... I'm pointing out the societal differences in advertising campaigns, etc.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Meh. They're entertainers named after Akihabara. That their picture is splashed across a wall in the Akiba station is almost a given. What else are they going to put up there? The latest camera deals?

@Lunchbox,

The picture of the day, is a picture of an advert?

It seems roughly half of the pictures of the day are advertising something or other. (the latest Triumph lingerie line, the latest movie release in Japan, etc.) So what's with this sudden outrage?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

My annoyance at their over-saturated exposure in the media is right up there with that card game that is too beautiful

0 ( +0 / -0 )

people here are so stupid, the average age of AKB48 is well over 18. the lead girl in the new single, Mariko Shinoda, is 25. it's hilarious how threatened people are by sexy, powerful and amazing girls... selling more than your faves, breaking records and making more money than everyone here combined

This phenomena makes me sick...first of all they are salaried, disposable workers. They are puppets for a production machine that pollutes every available medium to squeeze as much money as they can, while preying on the narcissistic gluttony of girls that want to be famous. There is not one iota of talent in this pack of lolitas. As far as being threatened by "sexy, powerful girls"..... I only wish that Japan idolized the really incredible women in this country. Not these cardboard cut outs. Grow up

1 ( +2 / -1 )

which is wrong? people clicking on the link because their a fan of a pop group known as AKB48 or... people who know they don't like it but click the link anywayz just to crap on? there's opinion and then theres crap distinguish between the two and enjoy the fact that the group is current apart of Japans popular culture. **no point marking my comment bad because I doubt I'll c it :)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I don't think they will be leaving any time soon....so don't bother holding your breaths.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I should rent a big bill board like that and put my legs rather than my face on it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Im just amazed at how they are literally everywhere. No escape!! and lachatamber.....sexy powerful amazing hahahahaha good one bro! But I think its as bad in every country !!! but I do go past the nagoya AKB place and am stunned at how many guys there are there watching a screen with the crew showing there moves. It really is brain dead for any one over 10

0 ( +1 / -1 )

lachatamber: "people here are so stupid, the average age of AKB48 is well over 18."

Which means the majority of the member are classified as children. End of argument. Some of said children are 14 or younger. You think that's sexy? Stop trying to gussy up the fact that society shows teeny-boppers in lingerie by saying that SOME of the girls are near adulthood.

"it's hilarious how threatened people are by sexy, powerful and amazing girls..."

I don't think a single non-fan of AKB48 is 'threatened' by these girls at all. Disgusted by how many in society portray them as sex-kittens when most are not adults, while at the same time incidents of groping, rape, sexual assault, enjou-kousai, and the like are on the rise? yes.

What's more, people are rightly disgusted by how much is being made of these little girls (okay, to be fair, a handful of the hundred or so are actually adults) when in reality they can barely sing, hardly dance, cannot play any instruments (or at least do not for their own music), and cannot compose music or write lyrics. They are talentless hacks, assembled by a group of managers, and put in lingerie for sick old men to oggle.

"selling more than your faves, breaking records and making more money than everyone here combined"

I don't care if they sell more than my faves, who actually have talent, any more than I prefer a Hollywood box office smash because it made more money than a movie with a far better story, good acting, writing, cinematography, etc. Tell us, lachatamber, what talent do these girls have? their bodies? Next you'll be saying we should revere Kim Kaardashian (I don't care to check the spelling) and Paris Hilton because they make a lot of money too.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

They are cute,young, good looking and involved in charity events. In my knowledge, AK 47 was a automatic riffle. Therefore these girls are hot as AK 48 guns. However Korean band girls generation are competing with them for larger slice of market. They may be younger than Japanese band. In the future, one band will only survive for a long term. History has showed not many girls band has survived for a long time. Such as Austalia girlfriend, Myanmar Venus and etc. Only Spice girls of UK has longevity.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

people here are so stupid, the average age of AKB48 is well over 18. the lead girl in the new single, Mariko Shinoda, is 25. it's hilarious how threatened people are by sexy, powerful and amazing girls... selling more than your faves, breaking records and making more money than everyone here combined

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

I think that what is missing in this picture to make it a 'perfect' watchful eyes would be some guy trying to take an upskirt picture of the models! That would be a picture of the day that would come under greater scrutiny.. .

2 ( +4 / -2 )

We all know that by watchful eyes the headline is referring to the hundreds of other middle-aged pervs and little girls beside this guy who are taking their own pics and oggling over the ad.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The AKB story just about sums up the mentality of the typical useless salaryman/Cop/Politician... Without them, AKB would just be a group of talentless children (which they are)...

3 ( +6 / -3 )

^o^ awesome!!! so hot!!

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Only 11 visible in this picture. Where are the other 37?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Japan needs antidote as seems to be suffering from serious AKB poisoning.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Don't worry folks, it will all blow over.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Do they allow to enter their theater?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

No legs! Oh well...

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Show legs and not faces, so we think we are looking at legal aged girls and not teenie boppers.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Enough already. Yesterday I had to keep my eyes closed on the Yamanote Line because the entire coach was festooned with AKB ads, everywhere. This has become a cult, zealously defended by its nerdy adherents. Just witness the accumulation of thumbs down for every criticism of this insipid fad.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Another reason not to go to Akihabara...

0 ( +5 / -5 )

The picture of the day, is a picture of an advert? Give us a break please, I have to look at these puppets every time I use the seven 11.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Pedestrian.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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