#love machine

King Kazma vs. Love Machine - Round 2

Summer Wars - 2009

AKB48's version of Love Machine went viral on Tiktok with influencers dancing to it and music critics are calling the modern arrangement a masterpiece. I gave it a listen, and honestly, it does a better job honoring the original than Morning Musume's Updated '23 version while still keeping that classic AKB flavor. The '23 Updated one feels like it's trying too hard to be cute and trendy, but ends up missing the original's sass and edge. And AKB48 actually kept that iconic growl at the end of the dance break which is something every other Updated version and cover version of the song has ditched, which I found interesting. That was a cool surprise for a group like AKB48 because it’s far from their current image. Funny thing is, Sakura mentioned a few years back that she worried Morning Musume sounds like every other cutesy idol group when they perform Love Machine on TV and that's why they doesn’t leave a strong impression anymore. And she kind of had a point. AKB48 showed how it's done by respecting the source material while adding their own twist and I get why it’s so popular. If this version gets any more popular though and AKB48 performs it on TV, I'd be a little nervous if I were current Morning Musume because AKB kind of outshined them.

So...Love Machine is viral on Japanese Tiktok but it's not the original or even the Updated version. It's AKB's recent cover of it, which was bolstered by Gomaki performing it with them at their 20th anniversary concert. It's not that it's AKB, but people like the sassy lyrics of it which is why it's being used. That's gotta be a huge L for Upfront and Morning Musume'25.

I finally listened to love machine and it was amazing 👏

True skill of humanity making a song about a robot falling in love