48 Project

48 Project is a nationwide project of an idol group family created by Yasushi Akimoto that consist of AKB48, SKE48, SDN48, NMB48, JKT48, HKT48, and soon there will be SNH48 in Shanghai, China and TPE48 in Taipei, Taiwan. They are an idol group, okay? They're not a girlband, there is always misconception of this term. But if in Japan, a group of girl gather in a one group it’s called an idol group. It just in some other area, let say... Korea, it’s called a girlband. And since 48 Family are come from Japan, we called them an idol group. Is that clear enough?

AKB48

 First, I want to explain about AKB48. AKB48 (read "A.K.B. Forty-eight") is a Japanese girl group which has achieved such popularity in Japan that they have been characterized as a social phenomenon. The group has 64 members, ranging in age from early teens to mid-20s. Produced by Yasushi Akimoto, it is one of the highest-earning musical acts in the world, with 2011 record sales of over $200 million in Japan alone.

The group's thirteen latest consecutive singles topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. In 2010, "Beginner" and "Heavy Rotation" placed, respectively, first and second in the list of Japan's best selling singles for the year, while in 2011 AKB48 occupied the whole top 5 of the Oricon Yearly Singles Chart. With 15,130,000 CD single sales by Jun 29, 2012 according to Music Station, AKB48 holds the record for most singles sold in Japan by a female group.

AKB48 is named after Akihabara (Akiba for short), the area in Tokyo where the group's own theater is located. The idea of AKB48's producer Yasushi Akimoto was to create a girl group that, unlike a regular pop group, which gives occasional concerts and that is mostly seen on TV, would have its own theater and perform there on a daily basis; the fans would always be able to go and see the girls live. Presently, AKB48 still performs at the theater every day, although, due to great demand, tickets are now distributed only via a lottery.

AKB48 holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's "largest pop group". Currently, it consists of four subgroups: Team A, Team K, Team B, and Team 4 with 16 members each, summing up to a total of 64 girls. There are also a number of aspiring members, who are called "kenkyūsei" ("trainees"). The member lineup often changes; when girls get older, they "graduate" from the group, while new members are cast through regularly held auditions. Having several teams not only allows the group to reduce the load on its members, since a daily concert at the theater is given by only one team, but also gives AKB48 opportunity to perform in several places and even countries simultaneously.

Given the large number of members in the group, who couldn't appear on stage at the same time, AKB48 needed some sort of selection method to determine who will record a single and perform it on TV. So far, two big selection events are held annually. One member lineup is determined by fans who vote for their favorite members in so-called "general elections" ("senbatsu" in Japanese) by purchasing the group's latest single that includes a ticket that allows the buyer to register a vote for a particular member. The other is decided in a rock-paper-scissors tournament between the members themselves. The popularity of AKB48 had been so huge that in the 2011 election the number of votes cast exceeded 1 million and the single "Everyday, Katyusha", that contained a voting ticket for the election, set a new Japanese all-time record for weekly sales of a CD single.

AKB48 was founded based on the "idols you can meet" concept. The group's producer Yasushi Akimoto decided to create an idol group that, unlike a regular idol group that gives occasional concerts and that is mostly seen on TV, would have its own theater and perform there on a daily basis; the fans would always be able to go and see the girls live. Presently, AKB48 still performs at the theater every day, although, due to great demand, tickets are now distributed only via a lottery. The AKB48 Theater is located in the Don Quijote store in Akihabara, Tokyo.

The group consists of four subgroups: Team A, Team K, Team B, and Team 4. Having several teams not only allows the group to reduce the load on its members, since a daily concert at the theater is given by only one team, but also gives AKB48 opportunity to perform in several places and even countries simultaneously. Each of the teams also has its own unique image. According to member Misaki Iwasa, Team A represents freedom, Team B is very idol-like with cutesy costumes, while Team K has a strong and powerful image. There is also a number of aspiring members (so-called trainees or "Kenkyūsei"), who learn the group's songs and are appointed as stand-ins for the main members, so that a replacement is always available. In addition to singing performances, members are heavily promoted throughout the Japanese mass media. The group regularly holds "handshake events", where fans get a chance to shake hands with the group's members.

I know, I know, you can find out those information with the easiest way on the internet, but I’m gonna put some of my opinion about this idol group, so far I have seen their single entitled “GIVE ME FIVE!” and I see in that video some of them are playing a music instrument such as guitar, bass, drum, keyboards, and etc. If you ever watch their previously single such as “Kaze Wa Fuiteiru 風は吹いている”or “Beginner” that really shows them only singing and dancing, but after I watch the “GIVE ME FIVE!” single, it blows my mind. They are brilliant multi-talented girls that I’ve ever seen so far in idol group world! No wonder they were called as the number one of idol group in Japan, maybe soon in the world! J

SKE48

 Second, I want to explain about SKE48. SKE48 (esu kē ī fōtīeito) is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. It’s a sister group of AKB48 from Nagoya. The audition was held during the summer and debuted in October 2008. SKE48 performs in the newly built studio in the renovated Sunshine Sakae in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, every Saturday. The first SKE48 stage was a revival of Team A's "Party ga Hajimaru yo". Guess you would know the name of “SKE” come from, right? Oh, come on… J

Akimoto was offered the chance to start a production in Nagoya along with the renewal of the Sunshine Sakae, when he was thinking of making his "48 project" a nationwide project. He had a couple of offers even from outside of Japan, so he decided to use Nagoya as the place to move on with the project. Akimoto has said that selected members from both AKB48 and SKE48 may release a single, rather than releasing two different singles. But they released their first single in 2009.

In AKB48's single "Ōgoe Diamond", Jurina Matsui became the first and only member of SKE48 to be featured on a single cover and in the song itself. Including Matsui, some members of SKE48 have appeared in the PV marking the first collaboration made by the two groups, so far.

Third, I want to explain about SDN48. SDN48 (read "S.D.N. Forty-eight", short for Saturday Night 48) was a Japanese idol girl group, created and produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SDN48 was created based on an "adult idol" concept. Former AKB48 member Kayo Noro was chosen as the captain of the group. In November 2010, the group made their major label debut with "Gagaga". On October 15, 2011, it was announced that all SDN48 members will graduate from the group during a farewell concert on March 31, 2012.

 But I hear recently it has been banned because it destroy the credibility that has been built by the other 48 sister group, and I think it’s the right choice if it true it has been banned.

NMB48

Fourth, I want to explain about NMB48. NMB48 (read "N.M.B. Forty-eight") is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group performs at NMB48 Theater on the basement of Yes-Namba Building in Namba, Osaka. NMB48 belongs to Kyoraku Yoshimoto Holdings Co., Ltd., a joint corporation of Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. and Kyoraku Sangyo Co., Ltd. The name "NMB" comes from "Namba" in the Minami district in Osaka.

NMB48 debuted on October 9, 2010, and consisted of 26 members as Team Kenkyūsei. However one member resigned from the group due to illness. Of the remaining 25 members, 16 were promoted to Team N on March 10, 2011.

JKT48

 Fifth, I want to explain about JKT48. JKT48 (read "J.K.T. Forty-eight") is an Indonesian Idol Group. It is the first AKB48 sister group outside of Japan, and it based in Jakarta. The group will adopt AKB48's "idols you can meet” concept, and its overall producer will also be Yasushi Akimoto. The formation of JKT48 was first announced on September 11, 2011 at an AKB48 event held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. The interview for new applicants took place in late September, with the final audition for the finalist being held on October 8-9, 2011.

The first generation members of the group was first revealed on November 3, 2011. The 28 members include Rena Nozawa, a 13 years old Japanese who resides in Jakarta. Producer Yasushi Akimoto said that JKT48 could become "a bridge between Indonesia and Japan".

So far, they have one TV series called “JKT48 School” where all of JKT48 School member like went to a regular school, but except it wasn’t a real school. But actually it teach some of lesson that usually teach in a real school, like Science, Sport, Indonesian Language, Cooking, Music, Social Studies, and Art (In order from the first to the last episode of the first season, but I think lesson “Magic” it’s not been taught in a regular school, isn’t it? J). And about concert, lately they’ve been showed a big concert entitled “Mega Konser JKT48” on RCTI, 17 July, 2012. Like their sister group in Japan, they’re also have a theater, but just for now they perform their show in a temporary theater building, because the actual theater is still under the construction. So far, they have played third time from May to June with set list that took from AKB48 3th Stage, Pajama Drive. But, the rumors says that in August, the thater will be held in the new theater building. This first sister group of AKB48 outside of Japan is getting more and more improve, whether from their performance, member characters and attitude, it all has been improved, if they keep up their great effort, I’m not surprised that someday JKT48 will be the number one idol group that outside of Japan (compared with their sister group, SNH48 in Shanghai, China and TPE48 in Taipei, Taiwan), I say JKT48 will be in the same level with their sister group in Japan, let’s see…shall we? J

And here’s some interesting trivia that related to JKT48:

• Melody Nurramdhani Laksani-Frieska Anastasia Laksani, and Stella Cornelia-Sonia Natalia, respectively, are sisters.
• Rena Nozawa is the only Japanese member of JKT48
• Ayana Shahab is half Japanese and Arab Indonesian. She speaks Japanese fluently.
• Sonya Pandarmawan can speak Chinese

HKT48

 Sixth, I want to explain about HKT48. HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group performs at HKT48 Theater at Hawks Town in Fukuoka. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka ward of Fukuoka Prefecture, where Yasushi Akimoto originally intended to base the group. HKT48's theater is located in Hawks Town Mall in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka.

Plans for a group entitled HKT48 were first revealed by AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto on November 19, 2008. HKT48 was officially announced on May 1, 2011 at an AKB48 handshake event. The group is the third AKB48 sister group to be launched, after the groups SKE48 and NMB48. The group takes its name from its proposed base location of Hakata-ku, Fukuoka. Instead of the previously targeted Hakata, HKT48 will instead be based at a theater in the Hawks Town Mall in neighboring Chūō-ku, Fukuoka. This location is next to the Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome. In addition, it was announced that the group would be accepting applications from girls aged between 11 and 22. The first round of the first-ever HKT48 audition took place from May 31, 2011, and successful applicants took part in the second round of auditions, consisting of a singing and dancing test, in the first half of July 2011. The final auditions were held at Hliton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel on July 10, and 24 candidates successfully passed the final.

After undergoing dance and vocal lessons, HKT48's 21 first-generation members were first revealed at an AKB48 handshake event on October 23, 2011 at Seibu Dome. Of these 21 members, 17 are junior high school students or below, and two are elementary-school students. The youngest member of the group, Natsumi Tanaka, was born in 2000, and 11 years old at the time of the announcement. She said that "joining AKB48 is my ambition since I was 5 years old, so it feels like a dream to be in this group."The oldest member is Yūko Sugamoto, who was 17 years old at the time of the announcement.

They debuted at HKT48 Theater on November 26, 2011, and have been performing sets of songs entitled "Te o Tsunaginagara", which had been originally performed by SKE48 Team S and KII.

And that’s all you need to know about 48 Family, I know it’s not generally all of my writings in here, let’s be honest, it come from Wikipedia, that’s why I will put in their link in here. But, if you want to know an honest opinion one of many fans of 48 Family out there, here it goes…Because I’m one of them.

I think 48 Project is a place where a young girl can chases their dream to be an idol, of course not every young girl dream to be an idol, but some of them who have a dream like that, this is their place where they belong. Watch out the world of entertainment, the 48 Project is gonna take on the world of entertainment! :)

Courtesy of Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKB48