Make Believe Mailer Vol. 53: Most brutally difficult dance in all of AKB48 history
Walking home from lunch today, I spotted a cardboard box perched on a cheap metal chair. "Well that's not normally there," I thought, and noticed that scrawled on top of it was a message imploring someone, anyone to freely take the contents within. And then, I learned that the online stories were true — this was full of unopened copies of AKB48's latest single.
Perhaps these copies were kicked to the literal curb because AKB have a new single out on the horizon, and this supporter needed to make room for some new temporary plastic. The video for forthcoming release "NO WAY MAN" came out this week, and originally I had a few potential angles to talk about this release. It's performing better than usual on YouTube for an AKB48 video, most likely because it marks the last video appearance for three members before they ship off to IZ*ONE permanently. The song itself is...not great, but actually sounds more intriguing than a lot of other recent releases from the group, with its electro clanging upfront before it settles into something more familiar. Most appealing, there's that old guy who pops up at the start and end of the video. What's his deal??? This could have been completely about how he looks sorta like Mr. Six.
But then I scrolled down to the description of the video, and noticed the description. Specifically the English-language one. To quote: "Keep your eye out for the ghastly facial expressions of the members who express their「AKB48 Soul」with all their might through the most brutally difficult dance in all of AKB48 history, which is completely different from MVs that show the cuteness of idols!"
The group has never had to play this up before. But then again, they never had to watch as their entire existence got stomped on in choreographed precision like they did this summer during Produce 48. A few months on, I'm still not sure it's possible to properly judge the impact this program had on either side of the arrangement — IZ*ONE's debut single out tomorrow should probably start really pointing towards what road this will all go. But one safe takeaway from the show — the AKB48 operation came off as amateur compared to their K-pop counterparts, at least in terms of singing and dancing ability. Forget that many of the Japanese participants came off as more relateable individuals — for a big corner of the people who follow this stuff, footwork and singing skill are vital. Plus, this gave tons of fodder for anti-AKB types, Japanese and otherwise.
Of course, this has been lobbed at AKB48 (idol-dom at large, really!) since it started. But now they appear to be shook by it, to the point where the "brutally difficult dance" aspect is pushed towards the front in an effort to give them some credibility. It's softened a touch by some classic idol fluff — "[AKB48 Soul]" is code for "look, don't set your standards for performance too high, OK?" — but still, it is both a change in tone and an acknowledgement that they kind of got caught off guard this summer.
So, maybe, one change following Produce 48 will be AKB48 trying to present an image that moves a little closer to the authenticity and skill of K-pop, while still holding on to some idol elements. Still too early to tell, but "NO WAY MAN" is an interesting development all the same. And here's hoping that Mr. Six-lookin' dude keeps showing up on the strength of this too.
News And Views
King & Prince member Iwahashi Genki announced that he will suspend his activity with the group in order to treat his panic disorder.
Momoiro Clover Z out here hanging with the riot police, sure why not.
Hallyu 2018 update: GFriend have their own chip in Japan now. They do not hold back on the garlic, and the smell lingered around my mouth for a day and a half, so proceed with caution...but I also ate the whole bag at an alarmingly quick speed so...get mouthwash?
DA PUMP's "U.S.A" passed 100 million views on YouTube, so they made a thank-you video for the masses that have made it the biggest song of the year in Japan. Think about that sentence!!!
GOOD CLIP ALERT, I don't know any context but when Shutoku Mukai is involved I'm onboard.
Hey guys, remember Lost In Translation? Shawn Mendes sure does! Walk The Moom, meanwhile, is just #cyperpunk_tokyo, maybe they should start an Instagram page instead of make music.
Last, I'd be remiss not to note that Kenshi Yonezu's newest song "Flamingo" is already putting up big numbers on YouTube and will probably be a massive hit. I would have argued that Hoshino Gen was the biggest contemporary artist in Japan a while back but...yeah, it's Yonezu. "U.S.A" has all the surprise value, but Yonezu's "Lemon" is significantly better.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of October 15, 2018 To October 21, 2018
Pretty chalk this week — Mr. Children on the album side, a new NMB48 number on the singles. Nothing of note here.
Perfume GAME (33 1/3)
My entry in the 33 1/3 Japan series is out now! Get a copy at Bloomsbury or Amazon. Or at Kinokuniya bookstores in the US.
Look At Me!
In this week's edition of Pulse, wrote about the growing number of YouTubers who are — intentionally or not — feeding into people's desire to live in the countryside. I am one of them, as you lucky subscribers have seen when I wrote about the dog and cat that kinda inspired this a few weeks ago.
Don't come around for music writing this week — for The Japan Times, I also looked at the potential hojicha has to become the next "it drink" from Japan.
Blog highlights: No Kissa, Cheap Cream, Pool$ide
Announcement / Call for help! — I'll be visiting Seoul from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17. If you live there or are visiting during that time...would love to meet you! But I'm also looking for any ideas on what to check out while I'm there, especially when it comes to more independent-leaning music. Reach me at patrickstmichel@gmail.com!
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Make Believe Melodies / Twitter / Facebook