The Other Election

It's hard to write about this topic without sounding like I'm mocking the group, its founder, and the girls and women.  Observing this phenomenon as an anthropologist might, my goal is to report without casting judgment.  On this particular subject objectivity is hard to muster up.  Feel free to look for a tone in what I write.  Cloaked as it is (might be?) here is a side of Japanese culture I struggle to understand.

Let's first define the topic.  AKB48 is a group of young women and girls who were handpicked by Yasushi Akimoto.  In his own right, Akimoto, a lyricist, a television writer and producer is a genius.  Seemingly out of nowhere, he created AKB48 (AKB is short for Akihabara--Tokyo's tech district also known for its maid cafes and socially awkward men--otaku).  Now the highest grossing group in Japan with a ridiculous following by men and women, they're everywhere:  on television, documentaries, concerts, commercials, and the annual election.  To be sure, there's drama.  There's the sassy one, the cute and demure, the ones who break rules and are punished, rivals, competition, cat fights, those who pull off the not-so-bright act (?) with ease, the scary one, the sex pot, and everything inbetween.  Put them together and they make for good television.  Or so Akimoto says.

The following they have proves him right.  An idol group like no other, these women and girls have a major cult following.  One which, to date, I simply do not understand.

The highlight of the year is the election.  Let's call it what it is:  a glorified popularity contest.  For weeks building up to the big event, commentators spend time outlining their predictions--who will win and why.  From what I understand, the winner is picked by votes.  Possibly (?) the votes are cast by CDs bought?  That part is unclear.  (I haven't bothered to check.)  The election, called just that, was last week.  The winner?  The mouthy one.  She gets the middle spot as they sing and dance, the coveted position.

Except that the mouthy one was demoted last year to a regional, tier two group as punishment for something I forgot to follow.  Her victory means she gets to come back to Group A?  Akimoto will decide, I'm sure. 

The election is one major event for AKB48, the janken (rock-scissors-paper) championship is another.  Both of these shows get ratings that would make the Miss America pageant cringe with envy.  The janken championship is just that--they compete one-on-one with a quick game of rock-scissors-paper.  What skill is involved in a game of rock-scissors-paper continues to elude me (mathematical probability?) but the girls vow to win showing up in dresses and costumes befitting a group aimed at attracting the socially-challenged.

I applaud Akimoto's genius and talent, that he figured out this is exactly what Japan needs, delivering in ways that has shocked us all.  The spin-off groups throughout Japan are not as popular, only because they're AKB48 wannabes, not quite there yet, not quite ready for the big stage.  There's talk of additional spin-off groups in Taiwan and Indonesia, but I honestly have not been able to find the time to confirm, much less follow this.

I wish the sassy one well.  She'll have another year of guaranteed coverage unless (until?) she does something to piss off the big man again.

Without casting judgment, let me conclude by saying this:  I don't get it.  Akimoto's brilliance, yes.  It's hard to miss.  Hard to ignore.  The rest of it--the hype, massive following, and popularity--it's a mystery.