Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 2009: AKB48's First General Election, K-On! Songs, and Michael Jackson's This Is It

In 2009, AKB48 launched its “General Election,” in which fans voted to decide which members would sing on the group’s next single. In summer on Tokyo’s Odaiba waterfront, an 18-meter life-size Gundam statue stood in Shiokaze Park, drawing roughly 4.15 million visitors over 52 days.

In baseball, Japan won its second consecutive World Baseball Classic title, while in the anime K-On! a high school band’s CD topped the Oricon weekly album chart. The animated films Summer Wars and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance and the historical drama JIN also captivated audiences. In June, Michael Jackson died suddenly, and fans packed theaters in the autumn to watch the film compiled from his final concert rehearsals.

The AKB48 General Election: Fans’ Votes Decide the Next Single’s Lineup

On July 8, the vote-counting event for the first AKB48 General Election (“Swearing to God, It’s for Real”) was held at Akasaka BLITZ in Tokyo. Atsuko Maeda took first place, Yuko Oshima second, and Mariko Shinoda third. The top 21 members became the senbatsu (selected lineup) for the group’s 13th single, while those ranked 22nd through 30th formed the “Under Girls” unit for the coupling track. AKB48 official election records (in Japanese)

In this election system, the CD containing the voting serial card and the CD reflecting the voting results were released as two separate singles.

1. 01Buy the voting CDOne way to get a ballot
2. 02Cast your voteOther ways to vote existed too
3. 03Counting eventJuly 8 at Akasaka BLITZ
4. 04Top 21 selectedThey sing the 13th single
5. 05Results CDA separate work from the voting CD

The vote total is not the same as the number of CDs sold.

1. June

   Voting rights with the regular edition of "Namida Surprise!"

   Eligible members of the official fan club, mobile service and others could vote too.

2. July 8

   Results announced at the counting event

   Fans watched to see what rank the member they supported took.

3. August 26

   "Iiwake Maybe" released

   A single featuring the 21 people chosen by the vote went on sale.

Voting guide at the time, AKB48 official blog (in Japanese) / Official discography (in Japanese)

First-place Atsuko Maeda received 4,630 votes, and second-place Yuko Oshima received 3,345 votes. Those totals measured the number of votes cast rather than the headcount of individual supporters, and because fan-club and mobile members could also vote, the totals did not match CD sales one-to-one. Even so, a system in which a fan’s own vote directly shaped a favorite member’s standing generated intense excitement, and with their 14th single “RIVER” in October, AKB48 earned their first No. 1 on the Oricon weekly singles chart. Vote counts, ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)

At the August 23 concert at Nippon Budokan, management also announced a kumikaku (“cabinet reshuffle”) reorganizing the member rosters across Teams A, K, and B—a management-led restructuring separate from the fan vote. Natalie Music (in Japanese)

Arashi’s 10th Anniversary: Singing Their Songs So Far at the National Stadium

Arashi held “ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×10” to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut. Kicking off with three consecutive nights at the National Stadium from August 28 to 30 and continuing across all five major domes through January of the following year, the 15-show tour drew 760,000 fans. Their compilation album All the BEST! 1999–2009, released in August, also passed 1 million copies on its 13th day of sales. Official record of the video release (in Japanese)

At the National Stadium concerts, the group performed singles spanning their career from their 1999 debut “A・RA・SHI” onward, soaring high above the stadium on wire harnesses to greet the upper stands.

That same year, Momoiro Clover (later Momoiro Clover Z), in the second year since their formation, embarked on a grueling free-live tour in which the members slept in a van while visiting 24 locations—including Yamada Denki electronics store parking lots—for 104 performances across Japan, building a grassroots following face to face before their major debut. Their path at the time, Pia (in Japanese)

Ten years since debut

Arashi

• National Stadium show in August
• Five dome shows through January
• Songs from "A-RA-SHI" onward

Before major debut

Momoiro Clover

• 24 locations nationwide
• 104 shows
• Getting known around the country

One group celebrated its history, the other built its audience.

Japan Wins the WBC Again, Along With JIN and Tenchijin

At the second World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, the Japanese national team (Samurai Japan), managed by Tatsunori Hara, won its second consecutive world championship. In the final at Dodger Stadium on March 23 U.S. time (March 24 in Japan), Japan met rival South Korea for the fifth time in the tournament in a game that went into extra innings. Tied 3–3 with two outs and runners on second and third in the top of the 10th inning, Ichiro Suzuki lined a two-run single to center field to give Japan a 5–3 victory, and viewers across Japan watched the daytime broadcast right up to Yu Darvish’s final strikeout. Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese)

In live-action film, ROOKIES: Graduation (ROOKIES -Sotsugyo-), the theatrical finale to the previous year’s TBS drama, grossed ¥8.55 billion to finish No. 1 among Japanese films in 2009. On television, the first season of JIN—adapted from Motoka Murakami’s manga and starring Takao Osawa as a modern neurosurgeon transported back to Edo at the end of the shogunate—earned high ratings on TBS’s Sunday Theater slot, while NHK’s Taiga drama Tenchijin starring Satoshi Tsumabuki as Sengoku commander Kanetsugu Naoe spotlighted his helmet crest bearing the character for “love” (ai). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese)

K-On!: Houkago Tea Time Tops the Oricon Album Chart

Broadcast late at night starting in April, K-On! was Kyoto Animation’s adaptation of Kakifly’s four-panel manga. When guitar beginner Yui Hirasawa joins Sakuragaoka High School’s light music club to save it from being disbanded, she and clubmates Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki—and later underclassman Azusa Nakano—spend their after-school hours sharing tea, sweets, and band practice. TBS’s introduction of the work (in Japanese)

The opening theme “Cagayake! GIRLS” and ending theme “Don’t say ‘lazy’” simultaneously entered the Oricon weekly top five, and the in-story band’s mini-album Houkago Tea Time, released on July 22, debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon weekly album chart—the first time in history a release credited to anime characters had topped the Oricon chart. Young fans flocked to music stores to buy the guitar and bass models played by Yui and Mio, and fans from across the country visited the historic former Toyosato Elementary School buildings in Toyosato Town, Shiga Prefecture, which served as the model for the school in the anime. Record of the music production, F.M.F (in Japanese)

AprilThe anime begins

It follows the everyday lives of girls who form a band in their high school's light music club.

JulyThe mini-album Houkago Tea Time

Collects songs the in-story band performs, including "Fuwa Fuwa Time."

In July, Studio Shaft’s adaptation of Nisio Isin’s novel Bakemonogatari also began airing. Following high school student Koyomi Araragi and girls afflicted by supernatural oddities, its rapid-fire dialogue and supercell’s ending theme “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari” won wide acclaim and set new Blu-ray and DVD sales records for a TV anime. Anime official site (in Japanese)

The Life-Size Gundam on Odaiba, Summer Wars, and Evangelion: 2.0

From July 11 to August 31, an 18-meter “Life-Size Gundam Statue (RG 1/1 RX-78-2 Gundam)” stood in Shiokaze Park on Odaiba in Tokyo. Built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original Mobile Suit Gundam broadcast, the statue featured a moving head, 50 illuminated points across its body, and mist emitters. Roughly 4.15 million visitors came during the 52-day exhibition, forming long lines to photograph the towering mobile suit against the summer sky. Bandai Namco Group announcement at the time (in Japanese)

It was also a landmark year for theatrical anime. Released on June 27, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance introduced the new character Mari Illustrious Makinami and took the story in bold new directions, drawing repeat theatergoers and grossing ¥4.0 billion. On August 1, director Mamoru Hosoda’s original animated feature Summer Wars opened in cinemas. In the film, a math-loving high school boy and the sprawling Jinnai clan of Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, join forces to save the global virtual world “OZ.” Propelled by the climactic cry of “Yoroshiku onegaishimaaasu!!” and strong word of mouth, the film drew fans to Ueda City to visit both the Jinnai family’s real-world locations and historic Sanada clan landmarks. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese)

Seeing Michael Jackson in Rehearsal Footage

On June 25, American pop icon Michael Jackson died suddenly at age 50, leaving his planned 50-date London comeback residency “THIS IS IT” unrealized. Compiled from hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage shot in the months leading up to those shows, the film Michael Jackson’s This Is It opened worldwide simultaneously on October 28. Sony Music profile (in Japanese) / Sony Pictures’ release announcement (in Japanese)

The film captured Michael checking every detail of the vocals and choreography and collaborating closely with his band, dancers, and stage crew. Unlike a recording of a finished concert tour, this behind-the-scenes portrait of his uncompromising creative process deeply moved fans around the world.

Strong demand prompted extensions of the theatrical run, and box-office receipts in Japan reached ¥5.2 billion. Michael was also honored with a Special Award at the 51st Japan Record Awards at year’s end, where the Grand Prix went to the newly expanded 14-member EXILE’s “Someday” and Best New Artist went to the five-member South Korean group BIGBANG, who had made their Japanese major debut in June with “MY HEAVEN.” Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese) / Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

Dragon Quest IX Tag Mode and Kaito Royale on Mobile Phones

On July 11, Square Enix released Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the Nintendo DS, shipping more than 4 million copies in Japan. Designed for a portable console for the first time in the series, its “Tag Mode” (Surechigai Tsushin)—which automatically traded “Treasure Maps” with nearby players while the DS was carried in sleep mode—sparked a nationwide craze. Hoping to receive rare high-level maps such as the famous “Masayuki Map,” crowds of players gathered at designated “Luida’s Tavern” communication plazas outside Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara and in train stations across Japan.

On October 7, the social game Kaito Royale (“Phantom Thief Royale”) launched on the mobile social network Mobage Town, letting players become phantom thieves who teamed up with allies or battled other users to collect treasure. Introduction by the operator DeNA (in Japanese) / Record of the start date, Famitsu (in Japanese)

Because anyone could play directly inside a mobile-phone browser without a dedicated game console, the social-game market on Mobage and GREE expanded rapidly.

The social network mixi also added two major features in 2009:

August: mixi Apps

Games and other things made by outside developers became usable inside mixi.

September: mixi Voice

In addition to full diary entries, you could post updates in short sentences.

mixi official chronology (in Japanese)

In particular, the farming game Sunshine Bokujo (Sunshine Ranch) on mixi Apps made visiting friends’ virtual fields to water crops or release bugs a daily routine. On Niconico Douga, paid Premium memberships passed 400,000 on July 25. INTERNET Watch (in Japanese)

In Washinomiya, Fans Gather for Characters’ Birthdays and the Festival

In Washimiya Town, Saitama Prefecture—two years after the broadcast of Lucky Star—New Year’s attendance at Washinomiya Shrine over the first three days of January rose by another 120,000 to reach 420,000 worshipers. On July 7, town shops held quizzes and spot-the-difference games to celebrate the Hiiragi sisters’ birthday, and the tea house in front of the shrine sold special birthday-cake sets. Chamber of commerce’s 2009 record (in Japanese)

At September’s Haji Festival (Hajisai), the “Lucky Star mikoshi” took to the streets once again. Rather than visiting an anime location only once, fans established a tradition of returning year after year for characters’ birthdays and local festivals.

560,000

Total attendees, summer (three days)

510,000

Total attendees, winter (three days)

Source: Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

At Tokyo Big Sight, Comic Market 76 in summer drew 560,000 attendees over three days, and Comic Market 77 in winter drew 510,000 over three days. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

Key Events of the Year

1. Jan. 1–3Washinomiya Shrine draws 420,000 New Year visitorsAnime
2. Mar. 24Japan wins the second WBC, back to back (Japan time)Sports
3. Apr.TV anime "K-On!" begins airingAnime
4. June 25Michael Jackson dies suddenlyMusic
5. July 3TV anime "Bakemonogatari" begins airingAnime
6. July 8The first AKB48 General Election has its votes counted at Akasaka BLITZIdols
7. July 25Niconico Douga Premium members pass 400,000Media
8. Aug. 14–16Comic Market 76 (560,000 total visits over 3 days)Fan works
9. Aug. 23AKB48 announces a team reshuffle ("Kumikaku") at the Nippon BudokanIdols
10. Aug. 24mixi apps become availableMedia
11. Aug.Arashi's 10th anniversary tour starts with a National Stadium showIdols
12. Sept. 17mixi Voice becomes availableMedia
13. Oct. 7The social game "Kaito Royale" launchesGames
14. Oct. 28"Michael Jackson's This Is It" opensFilm
15. Dec. 1"Rekijo" (history girls) makes the top ten of the Buzzwords of the Year awardsSociety
16. Dec.At the 51st Japan Record Awards, BIGBANG wins the Best New Artist awardMusic
17. Dec. 29–31Comic Market 77 (510,000 total visits over 3 days)Fan works

1. March 23Japan wins the WBC againA 5-3 final over South Korea
2. AprilK-On! beginsIts in-story songs got a CD in July
3. June 25Michael Jackson diesHis rehearsal film opens October 28
4. July 8First AKB48 General ElectionAtsuko Maeda takes first
5. AugustArashi at the National StadiumThe 5x10 tour begins its run
6. October 7Kaito Royale startsA cell-phone game on Mobage Town

A vote, an anime band and a rehearsal film in one year.

The Year’s Buzzword Awards

Grand PrizeSeiken koutai (change of government)

Yukio Hatoyama

Top 10Kodomo tencho ("child store manager," from the Toyota commercial series)

Seishiro Kato

Top 10Jigyo shiwake (budget screening)

Government Revitalization Unit, Project Screening Working Team

Top 10Shingata infuruenza (novel influenza, H1N1)

Morio Kimura

Top 10Soshoku danshi ("herbivore men," gentle men uninterested in pursuing romance)

Teppei Koike, Maki Fukasawa

Top 10Datsu-kanryo ("breaking away from the bureaucracy")

Yoshimi Watanabe

Top 10Haken-giri ("dispatch cutting," mass dismissals of dispatched workers)

Shuichiro Sekine

Top 10Fast fashion

Tsubasa Masuwaka

Top 10Boyaki ("grumbling," the muttering style of manager Katsuya Nomura)

Katsuya Nomura

Top 10Rekijo ("history girls," young women who love history)

An

At the 26th Buzzword of the Year Awards, the grand prize went to “Seiken Koutai” (“change of government”) following the Democratic Party of Japan’s victory in the summer general election. The top ten included rekijo (“history girls”), referring to women with a deep passion for history and Sengoku-era warlords. Sparked by games such as Sengoku BASARA and Samurai Warriors (Sengoku Musou) as well as the Taiga drama Tenchijin, more women began collecting family-crest goods of their favorite warlords and traveling to castles and historic battlefields. Jiyu Kokuminsha (in Japanese)

The top ten also included “Kodomo Tencho” (“Child Store Manager”), “Jigyo Shiwake” (“budget screening”), “Fast Fashion,” and “Soushoku Danshi” (“herbivore men”).

In the next article, 2010, KARA and Girls’ Generation make their Japanese debuts one after another, sparking a wave of K-pop cover dances among students, alongside AKB48’s second General Election, the launch of Love Live!, and the rise of “~nau” on Twitter.