Given the cruelty of the flesh-and-blood industry, it is no surprise that Japan is pivoting to pixels.
Fan clubs operate like feudal fiefdoms. The oshi (favorite member) is elevated or destroyed by the buying power of her kuroko (top spender). During AKB48’s annual “General Election” (now discontinued), fans literally voted by purchasing CDs—one vote per $16 disc. The member with the most votes (i.e., whose fans spent the most money) got the lead single. The lowest-ranked member was often “graduated” (expelled). Given the cruelty of the flesh-and-blood industry, it