Raise Your Arms and Twist, Documentary of NMB48 Trailer (2017)

Trailer for the documentary Raise Your Arms and Twist, Documentary of NMB48.

Osaka supergroup NMB48 and its revolving lineup of singing and dancing dervishes in baby doll dresses offers a backstage pass into Japan’s pop idol craze. A fascinating immersion into pecking order, competition, individuality and independence, Raise Your Arms and Twist takes a philosophical approach to the highly choreographed entertainment. Using quotes from Nietzsche and the performers’ thoughtful perspectives, a bigger picture of empowerment through adulation emerges. The female performers are active producers of culture and celebrity while their male fans are passive consumers. Fame, capitalism and human psychology collide in this pretty package that’s so much more than its veneer. Alpha group leader Saya, hardworking underdog Okita and the next generation of girls coming up through the organization’s ranks are proof that the person and the product peddled to the masses don’t have to—and probably shouldn’t match.