Top idols AKB48 have been promoting almost every product in Japan recently and prominent among the campaigns has been the one for travel agency H.I.S.
Though you sadly can't actually book a trip with any of the lovely ladies, you can go some of the way there with the latest addition to the marketing smorgasbord: An AKB48 augmented reality app for smartphones!
From August 22 to September 30, guys up and down the land are going to be occupied with oen thing only -- the AKB48 Augmented Reality Stamp Rally. After downloading the free app, uou have to go to branches of H.I.S. and read the AR ...
After generating uproar and surprise when they faked a new CGI member for an ice cream commercial, AKB48 have trumped us again by introducing the "real" Aimi Eguchi.
In front of 90,000 fans during a major concert, "Eguchi" joined the regular gals on stage for an encore!
It later emerged that we had been fooled again by those dastardly ladies! The performer was in fact 15-year-old Yukari Sasaki, who had been the voice behind the Glico Aimi Eguchi commercial, and was wearing special make-up to make her appear like the idol.
That's a tough thing to attempt since Aimi is famously formed of ...
She might have been losing some ground with the public of late if those Senbatsu Election results are anything to go by, but you'd be a fool to count the achingly cute Tomomi Itano out just yet, especially when she's capable of producing material as pleasing to the eyes and ears as her new single 'Fui ni', released this week.
The song, available in Japanese retail outlets from the 13th, is the second physical single release from the 8th-placed AKB48 starlet, following last year's quite well-received 'Dear J'.
Cleverly (or should that be cynically?) coupling a pounding, ...
It might seem more than a tad cruel to publicly name and shame the least popular members of your group while vaulting others onto a pedestal to flaunt at the head of your column (at least until the next election rolls around).
Then again, with 48 members to keep track of, the marketing team over at AKB headquarters are probably grateful for any help at all in that department - hate to put a dud on the next single cover, after all. Thus, we have the results of the 3rd Senbatsu Election to mull over.
The divine Atsuko Maeda has, somewhat predictably, nabbed the top spot in this year's ...
Underage fans of overlarge idol groups rejoice - the long-standing ban on under-18s attending SDN48's theatre performances has been lifted at last, granting you access to the AKB girls' older, edgier counterparts in (almost) all their raunchy glory.
SDN, the brainchild of AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto, was conceived as an "adult idol" group, differentiated from AKB through sexier attire and their focus as a "Saturday Night"-style act (hence the name) aimed at a more mature audience. Having made their major label debut on Universal Music in November of last year with the single ...
AKB48's ever-lovely Atsuko Maeda is set to make a welcome return to our screens this July, playing the crossdressing lead character in a brand-new adaptation of Nakajo Hisaya's popular manga series Hanazakari no Kimitachi e.
Originally adapted as a TV series back in 2007, "Hana Kimi" is the story of Mizuki Ashiya, a Japanese high-schooler living in the USA, who, having fallen in love with troubled young sports' star Izumi Sano after seeing him on TV, moves to Japan and enrolls in his boys-only high school in order to get close to him. Fuji TV has announced that this will be a brand-new ...
Appearing to promote the new AKB48 off shoot "Not Yet", Yuko Oshima sat down with the super plastic Kano Sisters. Livedoor reports that Oshima had actually been wanting to meet the sisters for a long time and got her chance during a very intimate interview section on the music program "Hey! Hey! Hey!".
Not being one to mince words, Oshima dove right in saying she had been a big fan of the sisters and had a few requests very reasonable requests.
"I want to put my hand in your cleavage!"
"I want you to put my face in your cleavage!"
"Kiss me!"
The truth is that our adorable ...
Creator and marketing mad scientist behind AKB48, Akimoto Yasushi, was quoted as saying, "The least popular members are holding us back and we need to get rid of them." due to the less than stellar turn out for Oku Manami's graduation announcement event.
Of course you know Atsuko Maeda, Tomomi Itano and Yuko Ohshima. He's not talking about them. He's talking about the huge chorus of unknowns behind them who do little more than create a cheerleader effect that gets so many otaku hearts fluttering.
Upon hearing this news, quite a few of the "unpopular members" as they are referred ...
Which of these barely legal Japanese Idols would you pick to bark for you?
That's the theme for the new Wonda coffee campaign staring our favorite future porn stars. The rules are simple. When you buy a Wonda coffee, remove the campaign sticker and go to the website and "place your bets" on a roulette wheel full of, you guessed it, the AKB48 girls. If you choose the correct girl, she will say "wan wan!" (woof woof) and you win a dog strap for your cellphone (lame) and a limited edition AKB Wonda coffee with a picture of one of the members on the can.
The winning girl changes ...
As Tomomi Itano, of AKB48 fame, embarks on her solo career, she took some time to promote her new single with a live performance.
After performing a few songs, Tomomi took a break to reveal a special prize. Seeing as the event took place just before Valentine's day, she would give one lucky fan a batch of her very own hand made chocolates. Let's back up just a second. In Japan, couples and lovers don't exchange gifts on Valentine's Day. Ladies give the man of their choice some sweets, usually chocolate. Guys reciprocate with sweets of their own, but not until White Day (March ...
