[jrockway]

I was a Morning Musume fan in high school but the members of the group kept getting younger as they were replaced, and I kept getting older. After a while, it stopped making sense to be a fan. (They never did a song "I'm sad about only being able to contribute $20,500 per year to my 401(k)".)

I never got into AKB48; is that they problem they are having, or is it something else?

[YurgenJurgensen]

I'm not familiar with the post-COVID situation, but I suspect VTubers may have eaten their lunch by operating a similar business model but without the risk of showing your face in public and becoming an IRL retelling of Perfect Blue.

[jrockway]

Oh yeah, people really like the vtubers don't they. I see it all the time on r/all, but never really made the association with the AKB48 type fans.