AKB48 (33 1/3 Japan)

Since its formation in 2005, the 130-member, Tokyo-based girl group AKB48 has become a phenomenal success and institution in Japan. Having originally recruited fans through so-called “guerrilla live shows” advertised by photocopied fliers handed out on the street, before graduating to daily performances in a theater in Akihabara, AKB48 now saturates Japan. Its members appear in print, broadcast, online and social media; in advertisements and on products; at home and on the train; on- and off-screen.Such multi-platform omnipresence is characteristic of the “idol,” a heavily produced and promoted performer who is in intimate relation to fans and appeals to them for support. And AKB48's appeals have astonishing results. From 2010 to 2016, the group's singles have occupied the top four or five spots of the Oricon Yearly Singles Chart, and almost all sold over a million copies. They hold the record for most singles sold by a female artist, highest Japanese sales of a single by a female artist, most consecutive million-selling singles sold in Japan, most million-selling singles in Japan and more. At a time when affect is more important than ever in economic, political and social theory, this book is an introduction to idols and the economics of affect in contemporary Japan.