Music Guy comments

Great work AKB48 members! And thank you for doing all those free mini-concerts you did for the children and others in the devastated areas back in 2011-2012. The joy you brought to the children and fans there was truly priceless.

And unlike some of the other commenters here, I think you have more good to great songs than any other group in the 21st century!

Too many biased haters here. AKB48 has a lot of really great songs. Certainly more great songs than every group that has become popular post-2000, and thus they’re the greatest music group of the century! Beautiful ballads, catchy rockers, and more!

Yeah, some may not like them, just as there are always large segments of people who don’t like some other group, indeed every group. Music, after all, is a matter of personal taste, not some purely objective standard. The haters like to think they’re objectively right, but they’re not. There are millions who hate their favorite group as well!

Good work AKB48 members for doing free mini-concerts — and meet and greets — to cheer up the people in devastated areas. That itself is priceless!

Thank you AKB48 members for your kindness in performing for the children and others in the devastated areas. Your generosity and compassion to the people going through tough times deserves praise and gratitude.

Ignore the pretentious music critics who think your beautiful melodic music — both ballads and upbeat rockers — is manufactured bubblegum pop just because you didn’t personally write the music. That’s just narrow minded nonsense. Your songs bring joy to millions worldwide; by definition, that’s great music.

Sad to see such cynical criticism of a charitable act to help people in need. Even if no money had been given, the fact that the AKB48 members performed multiple free mini-concerts for the children in the devastated regions was by itself worthy of praise. Then seeing the children’s resulting smiles, and genuine excitement meeting their idols, was truly heartwarming. Forget the money, the joy brought to those children’s faces was priceless.

And the roughly $10 million dollars or more to boot could only help those suffering from the devastation, regardless of whether the business derives a PR benefit. So it might be a win win, but who cares; the suffering people and kids won. That’s good enough for me.