Some fans can't get enough of AKB48, and NHK understands this, so on Monday it is broadcasting "Mitchaku: Akimoto Yasushi 2,160-jikan" ("Intense Coverage: 2,160 Hours of Yasushi Akimoto"; BS Premium, 9 p.m.), a two-hour special (presumably just the highlights then) in which NHK's cameras follow AKB producer-Svengali Yasushi Akimoto's very busy life as he auditions new members for the SKE48 troupe in Nagoya and rehearses the opening performance of the remodeled SKE48 Theater in that city.
The guy is a relentless entertainment machine, according to various famous people interviewed during the course of the special, which also looks back on his career as a lyricist and star-maker.
If that's not enough, the fruits of Akimoto's endeavors will make you cry tears of pleasure, sorrow, anger and happiness for three nights running, and not by shaving their heads. Each night from Feb. 11 to 13 an AKB48 team will present a special one-hour drama as part of the mini-series "So Long" (Nippon TV, Mon. 12:18 a.m.; Tues. and Wed., 11:58 p.m.).
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