2015 AKB48 Election~!

I've mentioned before in several blog posts that I'm a pretty big fan of the Japanese pop idol group AKB48. They hold many yearly events, the most popular of which is the Senbatsu Election. "Senbatsu" is the term used to symbolize which girls are "chosen" to promote a single. These girls are the ones that appear in the music video of the song, on the cover and also the ones that perform and promote the song through tv appearances and performances.

The 16 girls chosen to promote the group's newest single, "Bokutachi wa Tatakawani"

Getting a spot in senbatsu is a huge deal for the girls because with it comes increased exposure and basically indicates that a girl has amassed enough popularity that the management is willing to invest in increasing that popularity and having the girl become one of the ambassadors of the group. There are many girls who are "staples" in senbatsu, meaning that due to their high popularity, they are always chosen to promote a song. Then, there are girls that are newcomers and those that may be giving a spot on one single, only to be dropped from the roster for the next single. This can be very frustrating for fans that have a favorite member and want to see her in all the releases/gain more popularity. And of course, there are also many girls that fans feel are deserving of a spot in senbatsu but are never given one by management.