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AKB48_COMPLEX

                                               March 20, 2014

   The "insights" presented here:

          AKB48

   were based on a comparison between
   AKB48 and Girl's Generation, but
   that was based on a familiarity
   with only a little of the output
   from the two outfits.

       Since then I've seen things that
       might make it seem more complex:
       AKB48 being dark and cold, "Girl's      I turned up a "Girl's
       Generation" being cheerful and          Generation" video recently
       dorky...                                where they're dressed in
                                               red-white-and-blue outfits
       My immediate guess is that I'm          and carvoting around in what
       looking at the application of           looks like a hockey stadium,
       "the rule of reversals"-- both          doing a routine that makes
       combines have tried to mix it           football cheerleaders seem
       up to keep from seeming too             edgey.
       samey and repetitive... their
       later work may even be
       intentionally stealing some
       schtick from each other.

                    RULE_OF_REVERSALS


    In the piece "UZA" AKB48 plays
    it straight-faced and serious
    for once-- though I gather
    it's some silly Zombie Horror
    concept ("Thriller" redux...
    seriously?).

    The television show, "Majisuka
    Gaukuen" is similar, though there
    the high concept is female
    juvenille delinquent girl gangs
    ("Yanquis").

    To my eye, there's something a
    little different going on though,
    they're playing up the contrast
    between the Yanqui-theme and
    AKB48's usual image as a running
    joke... on the other hand it is a
    pretty, uh, serious joke,             The fact that they can
    played very dead-pan, without         act comes as a mild
    much burlesque....                    suprise, though it's the
                                          sort of thing that
                                          seems obvious in
                                          retrospect-- what else
                                          have they been doing
                                          all these years?


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