Has SNSD Surpassed AKB48?

SNSD has been at the center of attention amongst Japanese netizens lately.
With their debut Japanese single Genie preparing to be released on September 8th, the group held their showcase at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on the 25th. Despite it being a weekday, 22,000 Japanese fans showed up to cheer the girls on at their first showcase.
A well-known Japanese community forum was filled with real-time updates on the girls’ showcase that day.
When fans posted photos of the showcase, netizens who were not able to be there pleaded, “I’m so curious. Please, tell us what’s going on.”
One netizen at the showcase wrote, “It’s so cute seeing the members speak Japanese. The youngest member, Seohyun’s Japanese skills are surprising. How can she pronounce her words so nicely?”
Other netizens have claimed, “They have surpassed AKB48 (a popular Japanese girl group),” “You can’t find an idol in Japan that’s prettier than Yoona,” “Their singing voices are so cute. They sound like dubbing artists,” and, “They have a great amount of popularity, gathering 22,000 fans despite them not having debuted yet.”
Those netizens who are not yet aware of SNSD, as they have not had their official debut, have been showing their curiosity in the group by commenting, “Who is SNSD? Why do they have so much popularity? Tell me.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s representative broadcast stations NHK and FujiTV, along with other reporters from newspapers and magazines, were at the showcase site, allowing the group realize just how great their popularity is once again.