As The End Of AKB Is Approaching, Let’s Select The Best Songs Of The Group

After AKB era of J-pop started, I started to see weird Japanese language on Youtube, which obviously written by non-native Japanese speakers. These comments always make me smile as I used to see comments in English but they realized me that finally some people started learning Japanese inspired by AKB.
AKB’s popularity overseas is of course all because of Youtube. But Youtube itself can’t bring them money they deserve and though they are becoming popular throughout Asia, there’s no market bigger than Japan except China in some years later, which always make me suspicious AKB in Asia is more of PR mascot than record sales and show-business. That means basically AKB’s overseas activities much depends on Governmental budget to promote Japanese culture to the world (mainly Asia), and it’s proved by various media reports. But I think if this promotion means just to increase population who enjoy AKB on youtube and not increase the number of talented young people who come to study and work in Japan, I have to oppose Japanese government move.
Is promoting AKB in south east Asia help Japan hedge talented young South east Asian? My answer is no, it’s 100% no. Anime, Manga and AKB, these things may look popular in the world but it’s overseas popularity actually not at all contribute to bring job and money to Japan itself but rather it’s generating tons of piracy and imitations, which always bothers contents industry. In that sense, promoting AKB and AKB business itself (not AKB girls) is always suffering severe bashing, and even I, long years of AKB fan, also have had complex feeling about AKB’s expansion to Asia.
But at least those who are interested in AKB may want to visit Japan, and those people then again spread their impression about Japan in both negative and positive way. But my concern is as a Japanese expat, who left Japan 3 years ago, I think real Japan is not at all like AKB or worldview you see through AKB performances and videos. It’s not like AKB tunes are played everywhere or cute Ad boards of AKB girls are everywhere. AKB is basically a subculture which happened to be mainstream, but still it just got only a tiny little portion of Japanese main culture. If AKB fans expected full of Kawaii things or AKB things in Japan, will they be disappointed after visiting Japan? I know many American who come to love Japan much more after their visit to Japan, but also know so many people who expressed their disappointment.
Anyway, though I don’t think it will come some time soon, I think probably AKB’s popularity will peak this year and start decline because people are becoming fed up with them both music wise and business wise.

So let’s select the best song of AKB in order to make it easy to pass down the legacy of AKB from generation to generation….

Note: Since this page contains too many videos, it may considerably slow your browser after you played several videos. I recommend you to click link and watch them on Youtube.

君のことが好きだから/ Kimi no koto ga sukidakara

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