Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 2012: AKB48 at Tokyo Dome, Atsuko Maeda's Graduation, and Momoclo's First Kohaku

In 2012, AKB48 fulfilled its long-held goal of performing at Tokyo Dome, and the next day Atsuko Maeda graduated from the group. That same year, official rival group Nogizaka46 made its CD debut, and Momoiro Clover Z appeared on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen for the first time.

Online and across city landmarks, new ways to connect with one’s oshi and favorite works emerged. “Niconico Chokaigi” launched at Makuhari Messe, and celebrity official accounts arrived on LINE. In May, Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Solamachi opened, while anime titles such as Girls und Panzer, Sword Art Online, and Kuroko’s Basketball began airing.

AKB48 Heads to Tokyo Dome, and Atsuko Maeda Graduates at the Theater the Next Day

On March 25, on the final night of AKB48’s concerts at Saitama Super Arena, Atsuko Maeda announced her graduation from the group. She did not stand in the 4th Senbatsu General Election at Nippon Budokan on June 6, where Yuko Oshima reclaimed first place with 108,837 votes and Mayu Watanabe placed second with 72,574 votes. ORICON NEWS (in Japanese) / AKB48 official vote count (in Japanese)

Starting that year, the number of ranked places expanded from 40 to 64. Alongside the 16 members singing the title track “Gingham Check,” three tiers of 16—Under Girls, Next Girls, and Future Girls—performed coupling songs. Official guide at the time (in Japanese)

In August, the group’s long-awaited Tokyo Dome concerts and Maeda’s graduation show were held on consecutive days.

The concert title, “The 1830m Dream,” referred to the walking distance from the AKB48 Theater in Akihabara to Tokyo Dome. The three dome shows drew 144,000 fans in total, and on August 27 Maeda held her final performance at the 250-capacity AKB48 Theater. ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)

Nogizaka46 Debuts, and Fans Get to Know the Members Through Photos and Video

On February 22, Nogizaka46—formed the previous August as AKB48’s “official rival”—made its CD debut with the single “Guru Guru Curtain.” Nogizaka46 official (in Japanese)

Without a permanent theater of their own, Nogizaka46 introduced each member’s personality through lineup announcements on their variety show Nogizaka tte, Doko? and individual short films (“Kojin PV”) for all 33 members bundled on the single’s bonus DVDs. First-come photo bonuses with different designs for each CD store chain were also offered. Official buyer-bonus guide (in Japanese)

They earned their first Oricon weekly No. 1 with their second single “Oide Shampoo” in May, followed by “Hashire! Bicycle” in August and “Seifuku no Mannequin” in December.

Momoclo Plays Seibu Dome and Makes Its Kohaku Debut Alongside Golden Bomber and Kyary

Momoiro Clover Z held two days of solo concerts at Yokohama Arena in April and a summer concert at Seibu Dome on August 5 that drew 37,000 fans. In November they staged a male-only concert at Nippon Budokan, and on December 31 they made their debut appearance at the 63rd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. Official live history (in Japanese) / Announcement of the first appearance (in Japanese)

That same Kohaku featured first appearances by Harajuku fashion icon Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (“Tsukematsukeru,” “Fashion Monster”), the visual-kei “air band” Golden Bomber (“Memeshikute”), and Kanjani Eight in their eighth anniversary year.

At the year-end Japan Record Awards, the Grand Prix went to AKB48’s “Manatsu no Sounds good !,” giving the group its second consecutive win after “Flying Get.” Best New Artist went to Leo Ieiri. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

Tokyo Skytree Opens, and Girls und Panzer Sparks Pilgrimages to Oarai

On May 22, the 634-meter freestanding broadcasting tower Tokyo Skytree opened in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, alongside the Tokyo Solamachi commercial complex housing character goods stores and official TV-station shops. Earlier on April 26, the Shibuya Hikarie complex opened with the Tokyu Theatre Orb musical theater, and on October 1 the restored Marunouchi station building at Tokyo Station was completed. Tobu Railway / Tobu Tower Skytree (in Japanese)

In television anime, Tsutomu Mizushima’s original series Girls und Panzer began airing in October. Depicting high school girls competing in the martial art of tankery (“Senshado”), the show drew fans to its real-world setting of Oarai Town in Ibaraki Prefecture even while episodes were still airing. Stage events at the November Oarai Anglerfish Festival and life-size character standees displayed in local shops created a lasting model of community-supported anime pilgrimage.

Other major anime hits of 2012 included Sword Art Online (SAO) based on Reki Kawahara’s light novels from July, the basketball anime Kuroko’s Basketball from April, and the first television anime adaptation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure from October.

In cinemas, Brave Hearts: Umizaru (¥7.33 billion) and Thermae Romae starring Hiroshi Abe (¥5.98 billion) led live-action Japanese films, while Takeru Satoh starred in the first live-action Rurouni Kenshin film (¥3.01 billion). In anime cinema, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo earned ¥5.30 billion in November and Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children earned ¥4.22 billion. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese)

Niconico Chokaigi: Enjoying in Person What You Had Watched on Screen

On April 28 and 29, the first “Niconico Chokaigi” took place at Makuhari Messe. Built around the concept of recreating Niconico Douga on the ground, the convention brought cover singers, dancers, Vocaloid creators, and game streamers onto live stages and exhibition booths. Venue introduction at the time, AV Watch (in Japanese)

According to the organizers, two-day venue attendance was 92,384, while the official live streams drew 3,470,766 online viewers. Organizers’ announcement (in Japanese)

Comic Market 82 in summer drew about 560,000 attendees over three days, and Comic Market 83 in winter drew about 550,000. Report on the summer event (in Japanese) / Report on the winter event (in Japanese)

LINE Lets You Receive Official Messages from Celebrities

On May 9, celebrity “Official Accounts” launched on LINE. Seven acts joined the initial lineup, including AAA, GACKT, Mai Kuraki, and Becky♪#, sending messages directly to users who added them as friends. LINE official blog (in Japanese)

By the end of 2012, household smartphone ownership had reached 49.5%, jumping more than 20 percentage points from 29.3% the previous year. Report on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications survey (in Japanese)

Seeing an oshi’s official account right alongside chats with family and friends offered a new sense of closeness, delivering notifications about new songs and TV appearances straight to fans’ phones.

Puzzle & Dragons Launches, and Kompu Gacha Becomes a Social Issue

On February 20, GungHo Online Entertainment launched the iOS version of the puzzle RPG Puzzle & Dragons (“Pazudora”), followed by the Android version on September 18. GungHo’s official document (in Japanese)

Combining orb-matching combos with monster collection and team building, the title became synonymous with smartphone gaming. On November 8, Animal Crossing: New Leaf launched for the Nintendo 3DS, and players widely shared custom village designs on social media.

That spring, however, a monetization mechanic in social games known as “kompu gacha” (“complete gacha”) sparked a major regulatory controversy.

On May 18, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency announced that kompu gacha fell under “card matching,” a practice banned by the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, because it offered an additional rare prize only after players collected an entire set of paid random-draw items. Consumer Affairs Agency (in Japanese)

Because the thought of needing “just one more piece” led many players into heavy spending, social-game operators phased out kompu gacha across the industry by the end of May.

London Olympics Record 38 Medals and “Gangnam Style” Passes 1 Billion Views

At the London Summer Olympics from July 27 to August 12, Japan won a then-record 38 medals across 13 sports: 7 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze. Gold medalists included Kohei Uchimura in men’s individual all-around gymnastics, three-time consecutive Olympic wrestling champions Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho, Hitomi Obara, judoka Kaori Matsumoto, and men’s middleweight boxer Ryota Murata (Japan’s first Olympic boxing gold in 48 years), while Nadeshiko Japan won silver in women’s soccer and Japan’s men’s team reached the semifinals. Japanese Olympic Committee (in Japanese) / Women’s soccer final (in Japanese)

On August 20, 71 Olympic medalists rode in an open-top bus victory parade along Chuo-dori in Ginza, Tokyo, cheered by roughly 500,000 spectators lining the street in the summer heat.

In global music, South Korean singer Psy released the music video for “Gangnam Style” on July 15. Its horse-riding dance went viral worldwide across social media and video platforms, and on December 21 it became the first video in YouTube history to surpass one billion views. YouTube official blog

Key Events of the Year

The Year’s Buzzword Awards

The grand prize went to sleeveless-denim comedian Sugi-chan’s catchphrase “Wild daro?” The top ten included Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate Shinya Yamanaka’s “iPS cells,” budget airlines’ “LCC” (low-cost carriers such as Peach Aviation and Jetstar Japan that made domestic concert travel cheaper), and the newly opened “Tokyo Solamachi” at the base of Tokyo Skytree. Jiyu Kokuminsha (in Japanese)

From sports, swimmer Takeshi Matsuda’s remark after winning silver with Ryosuke Irie, Kosuke Kitajima, and Takuro Fujii in the men’s 400m medley relay—“We can’t let Kosuke go home empty-handed,” expressing the teammates’ determination to send breaststroke ace Kosuke Kitajima home with a medal—was also selected for the top ten.

Next, 2013 follows the wave of participatory fan culture, from dance videos for AKB48’s “Koisuru Fortune Cookie” to the NHK morning drama Amachan.