So apparently AKS is actively banning/preventing any 48 family members from attending Maho's graduation concert. And apparently they did this without any input from AkiP, who from what both Sashihara and Maho currently has zero input on management anymore and doesn't have any role in the company overall. He knew nothing about what happened. Any thoughts on all of this mess Doc?
Sorry I took so long to answer; I wanted to wait until tonight’s performance was over before I crafted my reply, just in case anyone tried to spring anymore surprises on us this evening. Nothing out of the blue tonight, so my thoughts remain more or less the same since the last major update during Team G’s last performance.
I think with the appearance of the extra guest performers, I would label statement #1 about banning other members from attending the performance as ‘untrue’, at least with regards to NGT48’s members. I understand there has been a comment by a Team 8 member on showroom that seemed to imply that non-NGT48 members were not allowed to attend. Maybe, maybe not; from NGT48’s point of view, it’s seems fair to me that that they shouldn’t get any of the other sister groups involved in their own internal affairs at this point in time. At the same time, Yamaguchi’s faction has made it clear that they want nothing more to do with the organization, sister group colleagues included. If they’re going cut ties with the group, might as well do it quickly and cleanly. Tonight’s the night to do it - leave behind all the emotional baggage, burn every remaining bridge (both within NGT48 and across 48G), and start afresh with a clean slate elsewhere. Inviting/allowing sister group members to attend would only delay and complicate the process.
Regarding Akimoto-sensei’s role in all this - as you have rightly said, we’ve known all this time that his role in actually managing the groups has largely been outsourced over the past few years to other management staff within AKS, KeyHolder, Yoshimoto, N46div, Seed&Flower LLC etc. depending on the groups involved. All he does now is to sign off on major decisions and write lyrics for 48G’s songs. Which is why I’ve never directly named him in my discussions regarding this matter prior to this, and also why I strongly disagreed with all the parties (media, fans, Internet Pitchfork Mob, etc.) who tried to force him to be accountable for what had happened. Sure, maybe he could have made some sort of public statement regarding the matter, but of all the parties to blame, he’s definitely not the first one I’d arrow. As a side note, that was an A+ diplomatic move from Akimoto tonight, to write an exclusive graduation song for Yamaguchi, Sugahara and Hasegawa. He didn’t have to do it, but it was nice that he did.
Tough times lie ahead for NGT48. Their failure to reach an amicable solution that could satisfy Yamaguchi marks a grim end to this fiasco, not to mention the potential threat of future legal action against them should Yamaguchi continue to pursue that route. They’re up against the ropes now, having turned themselves into a punching bag for the media and 48G’s critics. There’s really nothing more they can do at this point that wouldn’t complicate things even further for themselves and for 48G.
Best option for NGT48 now, in my opinion, is to just hunker down and take the hits. Retreat, lie low, and wait out the storm. Hold off any attempts at mainstream releases for at least this year, and don’t try anything fancy or stupid. A ‘restricted contact’ approach should be taken for now in terms of interacting with sister group colleagues as well. Limit NGT48’s involvement in 48G-wide initiatives to the basics only (handshakes, only 1-2 members on Senbatsu A-sides, no concerts), while having 48G’s senior leadership keep a watchful eye on them. On the organizational level, resources and attention have been wisely diverted towards STU48. With the timely launch of their new mobile ship-based theater, and led with an iron fist by Okada Nana, STU48 is in a prime position to act as a viable asset for 48G to continue the successes of the business model started by NGT48.
A drastic internal restructuring and rebranding should be the key focus of NGT48’s efforts in the meantime, including continuous engagement between Management & members to see how best to move forward. Resources from senior sister groups (AKB48, SKE48 and NMB48 - I’ll leave HKT48 out of this since they’re still recovering from losing Sashihara, Yabuki and Miyawaki) should also be deployed towards assisting NGT48 in this matter (preferably in a more behind-the-scenes approach, so as to avoid unwanted backlash from isolationist sister-group fans). Later on, NGT48 must also rework their grassroots initiatives to try and earn back at least some of goodwill they’ve lost.
They say time heals all wounds. For NGT48, I say take all the time you need. I’ll be waiting.
