Even Akimoto Yasushi needs to vent once in a while.
Ever since joining g+, he has been posting a lot of extra information interjected with personal opinion, and followers almost always immediately hit the comment limit of 500. Some offer praise, some question his decisions, and some leave rude comments that are uncalled for.
On February 16, he commented on the comments:
I do read everyone's comments. Though sometimes I don't notice comments from members.
Messages that hurt my ears, messages that I find useful, or even messages that make me want to refute right away, I enjoy reading them all.
Art Club and Google+ Senbatsu, I think these things can show a different side of the members to the fans.
And that's why I am on Google+...wait, this is a long explanation.
I do like getting different opinions, but please make them positive and constructive.
Let's have fun with the whole AKB group.
It's really sad when I see "parting shots".
Why did this person come here just to leave something like this? It doesn't do anyone any good.
Anyway, I am open to constructive/positive criticism.
Most of the time, people's opinions make sense.
So, let's have fun!
Then after some work-related updates, he was gone for a few days before he started posting again on February 21st.
Some more work updates followed. On February 24th, he wrote about potentials:
Let's talk, since I'm in the mood.
It's about one's potential.
No one believes in their own potentials.
Even though they have dreams, they give up somewhere along the way when they start thinking "there's no way I can accomplish this."
Why?
...because they haven't seen anyone close to them succeed.
For instance, let's say there is a girl who wants to become an actress.
However, if her parents and relatives aren't in the industry, then there is no "reality" to this dream. And because there is no reality, this is a dream.
If she confesses to her parents, they will yell at her and say, "What the hell are you thinking? Of course you won't make it!"
Most likely this is where she gives up.
Please consider this carefully.
Only a portion of the population has family or relatives with ties to the entertainment industry.
Stars can be born in a normal family on any given day.
Like Õne from Moteki, or Iwasaki from Moshidora, they were just normal, run-of-the-mill staff members.
Tsutsumi Yukihiko, Ishibashi Hataaki, Kinashi Noritake, Kikuchi Momoko, Jero, Honda Minako were all "common" people when I first met them.
You can't be a star from the beginning.
Let's make a prediction.
There will definitely be stars from the google+ users here.
[tr note: probably talking about people who commented on his old posts]
When interviewed by a magazine, surely they will say, "Back then I was on google+..."
And there will be actresses, rock stars, soccer players, CEO of some venture companies, or novelists.
But there will be stars.
Don't even think about "How is that possible?"
Believe in your potentials!
When you finally succeed and if I bump into you some day, you would say, "I was just someone on google+, but I did post comments to Akimoto-san".
To those with dreams -
I will wait for you in the future.
He followed up this post with another, this time focused on AKB members:
I don't like to be seen as someone who only makes "pretty talk", so here's some more.
"Please treat the AKB members fairly and give them all a chance."
I'm not afraid of being misunderstood - this is an unreasonable request.
With this many people, there are bound to be "light and shadow".
It's like plants on a veranda.
Even though we try very hard to swap members in and out, it's very difficult to be fair. The entertainment industry is a dog-eat-dog world, and it's naive to think that everyone can get along and that they can all be stars.
In AKB, the order of chance is especially realistic.
At any given normal audition, only 1 or 2 people will pass, and the rest are all rejected.
But AKB is a "documentary of growth".
One does not simply wait for a chance - one must work hard to make chances.
Like Sakiko and Ishida [Haruka], who are hot on google+; like Katayama, who is now in charge of the Art Club; like Nakagawa, who is blossoming as a drummer - their hard work is opening up ways for them to be noticed.
If you don't do anything and just wait for TV, Movie or Commercial appearances, these things probably won't come by very often.
Lately I've often been asked about Kaoru - "Are you pushing her more than usual?"
Since we're on this topic, I'll answer it here once and for all.
Her TV, gravure and commercial appearances were all requests from the other side. I did not force them. She is still a Kenkyuusei and it's great that she's already getting so much attention. Kondo from Shukan Playboy or Settsu from Nikkan Sports have all talked about Kaoru's charm. I am looking forward to how this will turn out.
In other words, AKB is a "show window".20 minutes later he posted the third installment:
It is necessary that we catch people's eyes.
To draw out the uniqueness, talents and charms of each member, we've asked quite a few creators from outside the organization to come up with different Senbatsu rankings.
Instead of whining about the lack of chances, I would like to see more people find what they're good at and help them get better at those things so they can be noticed.
AKB has always had a wide range of activities, so I want everyone to work hard. I will also work hard to help as many people achieve their dreams as possible.
It seems like there are still people who can't understand what I mean, so here it is.
Whether a dream comes true or does not come true cannot be blamed on someone else.
It's not as simple as "continue working hard if I think I can make it come true, stop working if not".
It's impossible to make every member's dream come true.
However, I consider AKB to be the best "prep school" for the entertainment industry, with the highest rate of "passing" and "getting into a good school after here".
"AKB Prep School" alone is not enough to make you become a star. Akimoto Yasushi is not the only producer.
After quitting the AKB group, one cannot "win" unless the mentality is "I still may not be a star even if I work super hard from here on."
I already said it before - you can't make your dream come true when you turn your back on it.
You're the only person that can make yourself give up.
If your parents don't support you, will you give up?
Even if you have to work, will you still go after your dream?
Let's say members of the AKB group has a 30% chance to get into the entertainment industry.
Are you part of that 30%? Or are you the 70%?
You are only what you believe in.
No one else knows the right answer.
Now this is what going after your dream is like.
You must believe in yourself, not someone else.
Finally he ended the talk with this post:
Oh boy, I've been talking like this all morning.
At most this is my personal opinion.
I gotta start working, so this is my last piece.
You can't win when you only work as hard as everyone else.
"I'm working hard, please pay attention to me" is not enough here.
You need to be concentrating so hard that you are in "the zone" and can't hear the "Hey! You! Yes, you!" calls.
How many times in your life do you think you can concentrate like that?
Lose yourself in the work!
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