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PR: Japanese Government Establishes “Creative Industries Internationalization Committee” to Strength

In addition to this, I think AKB48 might have a more fair chance at faring well internationally if they toned down on the sexual theme on some of their PVs. [/url].

Well, I've watched some dance videos of the Korean music bands (SNSD Girls' Generation, 2NE1, etc.) and AKB48, and I must say...
I think the Korean music bands are pretty much having the upper hand when it comes visual appeal and dancing; if anything, it seems that AKB48's dancing choreography may be more left to be desired than some would think. Notice how off-timing some of the dancers were in some parts?
In addition to this, I think AKB48 might have a more fair chance at faring well internationally if they toned down on the sexual theme on some of their PVs. So far, much of the Korean PVs that I've seen have little to no hints of any sexuality displayed...like this one.

This may seem to be a wild shot, but I wonder if Sentai's release of AKB0048 could act as a catalyst to get more peeps into AKB48. Man, I almost wish they were a guests for this year's Anime Expo than in 2010 to really capitalize on it.

Those dances completely blow AKB48 cute dance out of the water. AKB48 will have to start replicating these dance or outdo them. I don't think AKB48 will have to tone down their sex appeal (K-pop do have sex appeal too like Hyuna's Bubble pop or Rania Just Go for example), but they have to drop the schoolgirl look and look more mature in order to be taken more seriously to international audiences. Also because the music video in AKB48 tend to look bland and not a lot of visual appeal where K-pop win that one, Japan really need to make the music video more higher quality and more visually appealing like on the scale K-pop music video have.

And yes, you're right in that AKB48 will eventually have do away with school genre- after seeing it over and over on every PV, it can get quite boring to watch..

In addition to this, I think AKB48 might have a more fair chance at faring well internationally if they toned down on the sexual theme on some of their PVs.

mdo7 wrote:

Those dances completely blow AKB48 cute dance out of the water. AKB48 will have to start replicating these dance or outdo them. I don't think AKB48 will have to tone down their sex appeal (K-pop do have sex appeal too like Hyuna's Bubble pop or Rania Just Go for example), but they have to drop the schoolgirl look and look more mature in order to be taken more seriously to international audiences. Also because the music video in AKB48 tend to look bland and not a lot of visual appeal where K-pop win that one, Japan really need to make the music video more higher quality and more visually appealing like on the scale K-pop music video have.

Alright, so it turns out that even with sex appeal mixed in, the Korean bands are exerting their international influence with little problem at all...
And yes, you're right in that AKB48 will eventually have do away with school genre- after seeing it over and over on every PV, it can get quite boring to watch. Perhaps they ought to start watching a few of those Korean dance videos, borrow a few dance steps from them, and then find some way of mixing them up to create new dances of their own...

EDIT: I did get chance to watch this music video from a J-pop group (well they're originally from Taiwan) called Weather Girls. Although they're from Taiwan and they're considered J-pop group (I wonder if they're considering going to Korea or USA to market themselves). I do find their dancing better then AKB48 but not close to K-pop dance standard, but this music video does have a lot of visual appeal like K-pop standard visual appeal. Maybe Weather Girls could break into the international market since most of the girls can dance really well and if they can take their dance up on K-pop standard. Maybe they could go beyond Japan.

Another J-pop music video I watch is from a J-pop boyband, Chō tokkyū (Super Express). Their dance are creative and on the same level as K-pop dance. So maybe there is J-pop group that can compete with K-pop group if Japan can export their J-pop outside of Asia. Again just like the J-pop video from Weather Girls, this J-pop MV does have some good visual appeal. I hope they could get some attention outside of Asia like most K-pop group are getting.

I now have watch this video from Momoiro Clover Z, and the music video in this one look ridiculous I mean dancing is not being active and just look silly. I can't take this J-pop girl group seriously in this music video, and the quality of music video looks cheap and too chessy. However, another music video from them does look serious and better then the last one I just watch. The music video in that one looks more visually appealing like on K-pop standard of visual appeal. I am impressed by their dancing, although not on K-pop standard, but it's an improvement.

Mr. Oshawott wrote:

And yes, you're right in that AKB48 will eventually have do away with school genre- after seeing it over and over on every PV, it can get quite boring to watch..

Yeah, I'm sure they'll get away from doing what makes them big money in the Japanese market just as soon as anime companies stop making moe shows and focus on the Western market.

I could care less whether K-Pop or J-Pop conquers the world. That said though, J-Pop should be J-Pop. It shouldn't cater to the outside world.

I watch anime because it is Japanese anime. It shows things that can't be seen in the U.S. The last thing I want is the Japanese changing to supposedly American mores and toning their content down for western consumption.

If I want Japanese anime to be Japanese anime (the good, the bad, and the ugly), then I want the same thing for the western fans of of J-Pop and J-Dramas.

That is not to say that the Japanese shouldn't make a better effort to understand the global market and distribution; and to improve the marketing of their cultural and entertainment goods.

Also, I have no problem with the Japanese making movies and music for the global market, but not via the means of the entire industry changing to make it happen.

I like Japanese anime the way it is, so I support my music and TV brethren.

So let, AKB48 be AKB48. We don't watch anime because of rankings, but because we like Japanese anime. Same goes for the music.

not exporting J-drama (Tokusatsu like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai would also be a nice plus for fans of JPN pop culture if they can be exported and streamed on Dramafever and Crunchyroll) to western audiences.

mdo7 wrote:

not exporting J-drama (Tokusatsu like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai would also be a nice plus for fans of JPN pop culture if they can be exported and streamed on Dramafever and Crunchyroll) to western audiences.

Blame Saban.

The school girl thing is what the Japanese are known for. It is their thing. When they get tired of it, then they will stop it.

But when you insist that the Japanese have to change, you are going to get a lot of disagreement. We want Japanese products, not watered down western dribble with Japanese actors and musicians.

People that like K-Pop will like K-Pop. People that like J-Pop will like J-Pop. K-Pop is K-Pop and J-Pop is J-Pop. Nobody that I know said K-Pop changed. K-Pop is what it is, and it has its fans, just like J-Pop.

Your insistence the J-Pop has to change in order to be relevant to the western world, is mistaken.

I don't want Hollywood to change how they make movies to be relevant to China. So I certainly don't want Japan to change to be relevant to western mores.

If the west can't handle Japanese culture and themes, then those people shouldn't be watching Japanese cultural and entertainment media.

This will be my last post on the subject, because you seem to think that the Japanese should model themselves to western morality in order to achieve acceptance. While I think that the Japanese are fine the way they are. The Japanese citizens get what they want, and I get what I want from them.

Telling anyone that they have to change, in order to be accepted, is never going to go over very well. If K-Pop is doing great more power to the Koreans, but that doesn't mean the Japanese have to change. I certainly don't want anime or J-Pop to change either.

@mdo7

I think TarsTarkas [and RyanSaotome] have a valid point here; in fact, after understanding that "Western" doesn't necessarily equal "more modern," I now take back what I said about AKB48 doing away with their schoolgirl theme. If AKB48 and other Japanese music bands were to change their themes just for the sake of appealing to Western people that might not care for their music from the start, they're going to end up losing their fanbase, both at home and beyond. However, I still agree that their dancing choreography could use some improvement and that they need more advertising from the music companies to get make their names more widespread.