The Conventions of Unconventional Idols

It's tenth-grade biology class again, and you, reader, have been assigned with your lab mates to dissect a frog. So you get out your lab manual, follow the instructions, and everything is going according to the teacher's plan as it has every year the tenth-grade biology class does this experiment. But then you look over to the table in the back corner and notice something odd. A few of your classmates aren't dissecting the frog, as per the lab instructions. Instead, they've attached wires to the frog and are attempting to bring it back to life a la Dr. Frankenstein. Blood spatters everywhere, utensils fly across the floor, yet this group of students remain completely enthralled with their little experiment. You yourself cannot understand why these students decided to completely ignore the instructions and wreck havoc on the classroom, but they aren't interrupting your group's experiment, so you do your best to ignore them. Other classmates express their outrage and annoyance, and a few classmates even admire this strange little group of lab mates trying to resurrect their dead frog buddy. For better or worse, they have left one hell of an impact on the lab assignment today.

I like to think of unconventional idols as that frog-resurrecting lab group.

Ah, unconventional idols. They're almost as divisive as Youtube idols! But what exactly is an unconventional idol? According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, the definition for unconventional is:

"very different from the things that are used or accepted by most people; not traditional or usual; not conventional"

So the very broad definition of an unconventional idol could be an idol who is different from the traditional idols. When I say "unconventional idols" I'm simply referring to idols that purposely defy the current standards set by popular idol groups. Said idol groups being AKB48 and all its sister groups. However, I should also distinguish that when I say unconventional idols, I'm not talking about idol groups like Momoiro Clover Z and Dempagumi.inc. While both those groups do have a lot of quirks and rather unconventional idol music, neither one of those groups is constantly and intentionally trying to defy the traditional concept of idols. They're playing with the concepts, yes, but in a safe and market-friendly way. Actually, there are a lot of idol groups today that are straying away from the "pop" sound that's defined idol music (in other words, everything that AKB48's been releasing). And in that special little niche are the idol groups produced to have a sound and image about as far from friendly as possible. I'm talking about the idol groups like Alice Juban, Bellring Shoujo Heart, Babymetal, and of course, Brand-new Idol Society. You know, those idol groups that make everyone uncomfortable!

Something really cool about the idol industry of today is that a lot of idol groups are backed by producers willing to experiment in different sounds, such as popular producer Hyadain who's produced both Momoiro Clover Z and Dempagumi.inc just to name a few. Other groups like Rhymeberry and Tokyo Girls' Style also have very distinct music styles that don't fit with popular idol music. My point is this era of idols is a producer's playground for music styles and gimmicks. I like to think of these producers as artists with the idol groups they produce being their canvases. So with all the different sounds to try out on a pile of girls who have little to no creative control, why produce them with a more unconventional sound? I'm going to ignore the obvious answer that it's to make money, because everything in the idol industry exists to make money. I swear to god, if I hear that complaint one more time from an idol fan, I am going to set something on fire. Idols are products and if you can't wrap your head around that, you are following the wrong industry. I think there may be some self-produced indie idols you can find if you look hard enough, but at the end of the day this industry is not known for being one with self-control.

Anyways, back to unconventional idols. I think it's pretty easy to understand the appeal of traditional idols. They represent an idealistic portrayal of youth, the purest and cleanest facets of adolescence. For young girls, idols are role models; for older men, they're a picture of innocence hung against the backdrop of harsh reality. The objective of an idol is to stir feelings of hope and happiness in people. Many idol songs convey some form of positivity whether it be in love, friendship, perseverance, etc. Said positivity is typically presented through catchy pop songs meant to appeal to wide demographic. Idol groups like Super Girls and of course, AKB48 exemplify these traits. Even if Super Girls is more-or-less a punchline on my blog, I can at least acknowledge that they embrace all the cliches of idol music and imagery with such commitment. And AKB48 is the most popular idol group on the market right now, even if their welcome may be overstayed depending on whom you ask. As the most popular idol group (at least for female idol groups, male idol groups are not my department), AKB48 sets a precedent for other companies looking to cash off idol groups the same way AKS has.

Unlike Super Girls and all those other idol groups that look and sound exactly like them, unconventional idol groups exist to defy the norms of idol music from the look to the music to even the objective. Traditional idols represent a positive, innocent set of ideals so that they can appeal to a wide range of demographics. But unconventional idols often do the opposite. They're not trying to be positive or be role models or roll with the tropes of traditional idolry. Most of these idol groups have very small niches and never achieve widespread success. They're a stark contrast, and for a lot of people, it's a contrast that's too different and sometimes too disturbing. Sometimes the lengths an unconventional idol group goes to be unconventional can be too much. After all, is an idol group really an idol group if they exist only to subvert every common element of idol groups? So what is the appeal then? Even as someone with a tendency to gravitate toward unconventional idols, I couldn't really figure out an answer to this question for such a long time. Now I'm not even sure if I have the right answer. I think trying to fully dissect the appeal behind unconventional idols and why they exist is the equivalent of opening Pandora's box. It won't be easy fully explaining why, but as someone who is a fan of more unconventional idol groups, I want to at least try.

To understand where the concept of an unconventional idol originated, we have to dig into a little history. The Japanese idol concept originated in the 1960s, but really hit its boom in the 1980s. So much that the 1980s is referred to as "The Golden Age of Idols in Japan." Left and right were idols debuting, some of them never to be heard from again. Others quickly rose to the top of the idol hierarchy. And the golden girl perched at the top was Matsuda Seiko. Even if you're like me and don't look into older idols, you've probably heard her name before. With more than seventy-five singles under her belt and a string of high-charting singles, Matsuda Seiko is one of the best-selling idols in Japan. While she isn't anywhere near as successful today, in the 1980s, Matsuda Seiko owned the idol industry. There's a reason that she's called "The Eternal Idol" and Oricon ranked her as the number-one everlasting idol in Japan. Matsuda Seiko was the quintessential, girl-next-door, smiling, shining idol in the 1980s. Even when her popularity started waning after the 1980s, Matsuda Seiko still maintained a legacy as the face of this "Golden Age" for idols.

I've listened to a few Matsuda Seiko songs from when she was in her prime, and I can see why she was so popular. She had a very sweet voice, with just enough power to carry her songs. And her songs are just a nice as her voice. Matsuda Seiko's songs have all the sugary sweetness that you can find in idol pop. Watching her performances, I get a sense of deja-vu. Because her demeanor and performance style is so reminiscent of many idols of the future. Take this performance of her debut single, Hadashi no Kisetsu. So many idols of today are probably crafted around that same approachable friendliness that Matsuda Seiko popularized in the 1980s. And at the time, Matsuda Seiko helped set the standard for what the conventional idol was at that time. An idol was pure, but not distant the way they were in the 1970s. Idols of the 1980s were mostly sweet in that girl-next-door kind of way. And there are many idols in the 1980s vying for that top spot. As many as 60 idols could debut in a year and be gone the next. I can imagine that this time period is similar to the boom of idols today. So surely not all idols during this Golden Age were cookie-cutter copies of Matsuda Seiko, right? Wasn't there at least one idol trying to defy the norms of the Golden Age of Idols?

Enter Togawa Jun.

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Togawa Jun is an artist that started out as a idol in the early 1980s. Outside of her solo work, she participated in a variety of side projects, including lead vocalist for band Guernica and lead vocalist for Yapoos in the late 80s and early 90s. In her idol career, she was never the universally adored dream idol that Matsuda Seiko was in the 80s. However, Togawa Jun did have a large underground fanbase who admired and respected her work. Why? Because her music was insane. Togawa Jun wrote about murder, parasites & insects, sadomasochism, even menstruation, and a plethora of other dark, bizarre topics all while maintaining a grim sense of humor. Her debut album, Tamahime-sama is basically an exploration of insects and the human body, and you should all totally listen to it. And she was the same age as Matsuda Seiko when she did all this. There's a live performance on Youtube showing her performing the title track from Tamahime-sama, clad in insect wings and twitching around like a dragonfly squished by a boot. I think it sums up pretty well her angle of approaching the idol industry. Togawa Jun was (and probably still is today) strange, grotesque, and most importantly, unconventional. Can you guys think of any idol groups today that are strange and grotesque? I'll give you a hint: they're about to disband soon.

Back to Togawa Jun for a moment though. In my opinion, Togawa's album that most clearly twists the concepts of being an idol is Suki Suki Daisuki, released in 1984. While her previous three albums forayed into rock, enka, and even electronic, Suki Suki Daisuki had a much more pop-oriented sound. However, combined with that saccharine pop is Togawa's theatricality and strangeness. The songs range from the sarcastically straightforward Angel Baby to Osozaki Girl which is about "late blooming" if you catchy my drift to Sayonara wo Oshiete which is about Togawa loving a boy so much she swears to come back from the dead as a ghost to be with him. But the standout track of Suki Suki Daisuki has got to be the song that shares the title of the album. There's a reason BiS Kaidan covered it! Suki Suki Daisuki is probably my favorite idol song, if you can count it as one. I suppose that's a little ironic, considering how the song is mocking every idol long written ever. But Suki Suki Daisuki goes from cutesy and adorable to harsh and operatic so quickly, I think it really showcases how well Togawa Jun plays with the conventions of idol music back then. Compare the chorus of Matsuda Seiko's Akai Sweet Pea to Suki Suki Daisuki.

Kiwi Musume's translation of Matsuda Seiko's Akai Sweet Pea:

"I will follow you 

I want to follow you 

I will follow you

Even though I'm a bit weak-willed 

Because you're a wonderful person 

My red sweet pea 

Growing on the shore of my heart"

Jun Togawa Collective's translation of Togawa Jun's Suki Suki Daisuki:

"Kiss me like thumping, as blood clots on my lips 

Hold me, as my ribs breaking 

I love you so much 

I love you so much 

I love you so much 

Say you love me or I'll kill you!"

In the 80s, Nakamori Akina was always pushed as the "rival" to Matsuda Seiko, for her more mature and sensual image being the opposite of Seiko's sweet and innocent image. But I think Akina doesn't quite serve as the complete antithesis to what Seiko stood for in her peak days. I think Togawa Jun takes up that role. What makes Togawa Jun so unconventional is that the conventional standard of that time was a stark contrast from the way she presented herself. Honestly, Togawa Jun seems like a very interesting person. No doubt an eccentric person, but still fascinating. I've read several of her translated interviews, and she just has so much interesting stuff to say. Even better, I think Togawa Jun presented herself the way she did because she wanted to. Not because some management company realized "Hey, anti-idols make money!" and produced her with that image. And I think that's what separates her from the idols of today. Sure, Babymetal and BiS and Bellring Shoujo Heart can be as unconventional as they like, but at the end of the day they're still idols produced to maintain a certain image that appeals to a certain demographic. That doesn't mean it doesn't work for them, but compared to Togawa Jun, all the unconventional idol groups of today seem downright tame.

So let's fast-forward to the present day. AKB48 sits at the top of the idol pyramid with all its sister groups (and Nogizaka46) not far behind. Just below them is Momoiro Clover Z and then below them all the other idol groups ranging from mildly popular to practically nonexistent. My point is that AKB48 is in a position where they've set new precedents and enforced old ones for new idol groups. It's the same position that Matsuda Seiko was in during the 1980s. What an unconventional idol relies on is taking whatever is currently popular/standard in the idol industry and doing the opposite. Brand-new Idol Society exists to be the "anti-idols" but ironically, if idol groups like AKB48 weren't around, then neither could BiS be, at least not with the concept they have now. Same for Babymetal. The difference between BiS and Babymetal are their gimmicks, with BiS actively defying idolry and Babymetal embracing it, only adding metal and headbanging. However, both exist under the umbrella of unconventional idol groups that have been emerging these fast few years. In fact, I think that BiS and Babymetal actually helped kickstart that. After the controversial My Ixxx music video, BiS got a lot more attention than previously, and ever since then, they've been getting crazier and crazier going more and more out of their way to maintain unconventionality.

In the wake of BiS and Babymetal's debuts, a slew of other idol groups created with similar unconventional gimmicks have also popped up, such as New Idol Order, Death Rabbits, Passcode, Fruitpochette, Next Shoujo Jiken, and my personal favorite (and the only one that really interests me) Bellring Shoujo Heart. I am noticing a pattern in a lot of these unconventional idol groups that have emerged though. A lot of them either copy the aesthetic of Babymetal or BiS. New Idol Order for instance, defines themselves as a strictly "metal" group, a Babymetal sans the idol pop. Death Rabbits has pretty much the same description. These groups are all described nearly the same with a few different spins like "Lolitas and metal" or "a metal duo" or something of that nature. Generally, all these new unconventional groups are abrasive, morbid, and weird. They hold live concerts with blood and dead animals and other crazy antics that separate them from the "conventional" idol groups their producers are satirizing. But here's what happens when a group of people trying to be different do the same thing: they create a new set of conventions to abide by. It's kind of a paradox.

And it brings up another question: is an idol still an idol if they're doing everything that idols weren't conceived to do? Or are these unconventional idol groups changing the criteria for what an idol has to be? How much can you strip away from the standards of being an idol until you've created a shell that's only an idol in name only? The answer is debatable. BiS is not a well-liked group in Japan. Oh yes, they have their fanbase, but they still get a lot of flack for their concept and performances. Just go and look at any of the comments sections on their Youtube videos to see what I mean. So why go to so much trouble to attract fans when there are easier and more conventional ways of doing so? I know what draws me in personally to BiS and other unconventional idol groups is the sheer audacity of them. It's interesting seeing an idol group strive not to be like an idol group. To see all these creative variations and odd songs and music videos. And I have to think that there are BiS fans out there who feel the same way I do. BiS (and every other unconventional idol group I've mentioned) will always be divisive for disturbing concert performances, un-idol like behavior, and taking risks. But even if it's all manufactured like every other aspect of the idol industry, unconventional idol groups still draw me in at least a little bit.

I don't think unconventional idols will ever have real, breakthrough success the same way idol groups like AKB48 and Morning Musume and Onyanko Club have. So why do the producers of today go to so much trouble to create an unconventional image for certain idol groups when the alternative is much more marketable? Well, obviously there is at least a small niche for unconventional idol groups. I mean, look at Babymetal. They started out as a subgroup from Sakura Gakuin, then blew up over the Internet, and now they're performing in Europe and Canada and all over the world. As of now, they might even be more well-known than Sakura Gakuin. Sure, Babymetal's international recognition primarily stems from the mindset I like to call, "Look at this weird Japanese thing!! Hot diggity-dog, Japan is so gosh darn wacky and strange!" But attention is attention, regardless of where it stems from. And these unconventional idol groups do garner a good deal of attention. It's not always positive attention (BiS for instance is not a revered group amongst Japanese otaku). Nonetheless, it's enough attention for these unconventional idol groups to carve niches for themselves. And sometimes, that all producers strive for. Not every idol group needs to sell millions to stick around.

What I'd like to see is another idol like Togawa Jun. No, not a rip-off of Togawa Jun but an idol with her own vision of being an idol that's maybe a little weird and a little strange but nonetheless her own idea. As of now, this is the best time to try out these more different idol groups. The market is ripe with other idol groups trying out different music and concepts. Self-produced idols may not be the most well-known, but they're out there doing their own thing. BiS wouldn't even exist if Pour Lui hadn't the idea of making her own idol group. I'm not just sad that BiS is disbanding because I enjoy their music and style. I'm sad because of what they represent in the current idol industry. They weren't always great, but they were always interesting and vivacious. And they kept me sane when AKB48 was driving me crazy with all their bland music. Unconventional idol groups can be hit-or-miss with idol fans and for good reason. But I find something exciting and intriguing in listening to idols like BiS and Bellring Shoujo Heart and Togawa Jun. And maybe hardly anyone else does, but I don't care. At the end of the day, it's my own personal taste. I do hope that unconventional idols can always find a niche though.

Who knows? Perhaps someday a crazy idol like Togawa Jun will come along.

When Is it Time to Pull the Plug?

For the record, I'm talking about the disbandment of idol groups, not... well, the other kind of plug being pulled. But neither one is particularly cheerful.

This month K-pop idol Nicole Jung left Kara after her contract with DSP expired. Shortly after, Kang Jiyoung announced that she too would be leaving Kara once her contract expired in April. Despite the loss of two members of a very stable idol group, DSP announced that Kara would continue on as a three-member unit. Now as much as three is my favorite number of idols to have in a group, I'm not so sure if this is the best move for Kara. They're not exactly as famous as they used to be in South Korea, and even in Japan their relevance has been slowly fading away. Honestly, keeping Kara around as a trio feels like a very desperate move from DSP to keep juicing some kind of profit from the group. I don't know how successful DSP is as an agency, but I can't think they're quite as well-known as the big K-pop agencies like SM and JYP and YG. Those are the agencies that generate the most profit, right? Anyways, those are the three agencies I always hear about the most, and DSP is not among them.

So is Kara one of their biggest moneymakers? I've got to think they are, especially in their earlier days of releasing Lupin and Step and Pandora. Now, I know they released Damaged Lady, but I also heard that single pretty much flopped, along with the album it came from. And now with the departure of Nicole and soon-to-be departure of Jiyoung, I honestly don't see why DSP just doesn't disband Kara and allow the girls to pursue solo activities. That way they still have a (somewhat) profitable career outlet. Besides, wasn't Kara one of the K-pop groups known for its stability? So much for that. I can't think that they'll have that much success as a trio. It's sad, really, but it just makes me think that DSP really needs to disband Kara while they're still somewhat relevant and before they're barely scraping by trying to maintain momentum only to have it slowly keep slipping away. But nope, from the looks of it, that is exactly what is going to happen.

So why do I bring all this up? Well, it's not because I'm a die-hard fan of Kara, though I do find some of their Japanese songs enjoyable (and even a few of their K-pop songs). But the lineup changes to Kara did get me thinking: when is the best time to disband an idol group anyways? Should it be at their peak, when they have the most fans and most successful numbers? Or when their fame has dwindled, and not many people are left supporting them? Or somewhere in-between those two? I know no one wants to talk about the disbandment of a group, and I especially don't. Disbandment is the only thing worse than a graduation to happen to an idol group. At least with a member graduating, the group can still release music and remain on the market. But a disbandment is the end. Finito. No more music, no more group, just a bunch of memories and archives to browse through.

However, I still think that the disbandment of a group is a necessary evil. Because you know what the alternative is? A group sticking around forever and none of the members getting to move on and pursue something else. I'd think that after awhile, that would get very monotonous. Of course, there are always exceptions like Smap and Arashi. Between you and me, I think those two groups are never going to disband. Actually, I've noticed male idol groups tend to have better longevity than female idol groups. Is it because the demographic for male idol groups tends to be wider? I don't know; that's another subject for another article. Back to what I was saying, I think there is an appropriate time for an idol group to disband. The question is figuring out what that time is. Is there a certain point where an idol group reaches their peak and there's nothing left for them? And can that point be applied to every idol group? I don't think a general time can be figured out because of all the differing variables, but I still think there are certain factors that indicate when an idol group is slipping past their prime.

One of those I already mentioned, and that is lineup changes! Now this doesn't apply to all idol groups, mainly the groups known for frequently changing lineups like AKB48, Morning Musume, and even BiS. Although I'm not sure if the member changes for BiS are intentional. I'm referring to idol groups that maintain a stable lineup for a very long time, particularly the time in which they are successful. Like with Perfume, they're about as stable as group gets despite the loss of Kawayuka a very, very long time ago. Like they weren't even signed onto a label with Kawayuka. A lot of the stable groups I'm thinking of are the ones with small numbers like Tokyo Girls' Style and Scandal. This can also refer to groups that lost a member before achieving a larger amount of recognition like Momoiro Clover Z, C-ute, and 9nine. As of April, Kara, a group known for its lack of a frequently changing lineup, will become a trio.

Now this isn't the first time Kara has a lost a member, but their last change in lineup was in 2008, when Kim Sung Hee departed. And even then, she left before the group really started to pick up attention. For six years Kara has maintained its five-member lineup, and those five members are the faces the public recognizes. And I think once a group has established itself, there's a certain image their casual fanbase associates with them. Sort of a... chemical compound composed of elements that perfectly balance each other out into an equation. And one member graduating is kind of like removing one element from that equation; all the other chemicals are still there, but with the equation out of balance, the chemical compound is gone. Like if Perfume were to lose a member now, they would basically be screwed. Everyone knows them as A-chan, Nocchi, and Kashiyuka. With such a small number too, they can't afford to lose anyone. Look at S/mileage. After losing two popular members then adding four more, it took them two years to finally stabilize again and start getting better sales. Zone also starting dropping in sales after original member Takayo's departure.

But lineup changes aren't the end-all be-all for a group's disbandment. There are too many exceptions to that rule, and plenty of idol groups are still able to maintain a fanbase despite the loss of a member. A more deciding factor is financial gain, especially for major label idol groups. Look, everything about the idol industry exists to make money. That may not be the sole reason for its existence, but that is the main reason. Hell, that can honestly apply to most forms of mainstream entertainment. Now there are also indie idol groups, but that's veering into a different topic. Major label idol groups exist to make money. And usually, there's a time when every idol group has their "peak" in success. Take Morning Musume. As of now they've reached another peak of sorts (but nowhere near as high as their first peak). AKB48 is still riding on their peak that started way back in 2009. And Momoiro Clover Z is also right in their peak right now.

So what happens when a group starts to fall off that peak? Well, there are two options and agency can take: roll with it and just cater to a smaller audience or disband the group while they're still riding high on the waves of money and success. I feel like most idol agencies go with the latter option for their groups, especially smaller idol groups that aren't juggernauts like AKB48. Speaking of said juggernaut, I think when AKB48 stops making money, Aki-P will disband the group. They're just that kind of group, and I honestly don't think Aki-P cares about anything other than keeping that million streak going for as long as he can and milking as much out of the girls of AKB48 as possible. Look, I could write all the livelong day about the multiple bones I have to pick with AKS and Aki-P so I'll stop right there. Even though money is a big factor in how an idol group is produced, I still don't think that is the ultimate decider to disband a group. After all, there are many idol groups that don't make much money but still deliver consistent songs and music videos. In fact, there are many idol groups that I actually like better than the more popular ones!

So what then? If lineups and finances aren't sole determining factors to disband an idol group, what is?

In my opinion, I think the one of the best times to disband an idol group is when the quality starts declining. The reason I bring this reason up last is because sometimes a group's decline in quality correlates with member losses or a decline in sales and overall relevance. For example, S/mileage's songs were crap after Yuuka and Saki left, along with their overall image. Luckily, they're finally starting to sound decent again, but the chemistry of original S/mileage is long gone. Whether that's for better or worse is up to you. But I honestly don't care how much an idol group makes as long as the music remains good. And really all an idol group has to do for that is not bore me. This is again, why I wouldn't give a shit if AKB48 disbanded right now. Their music has been sucking for the past two years and doesn't show any signs of stopping as long as AKS makes the moneys. If Perfume starts to decline in sales, I'll be bummed, but as long as their music is still good, I'll keep wanting to see them around.

However, there is one more time I think is a good time for disbandment: longevity. When an idol group is around for a long time, I think they've earned the right to disband if they want to. The girls of Perfume have talked about disbanding in the next five years or so, and that makes perfect sense. Sure, I will probably cry when that happens, but if that's what the girls want, then who am I to interfere with their wishes solely on the basis that I like their music? Honestly, I'm amazed that Perfume's manage to remain relevant for so long in the industry, and they keep coming up with new ideas and new goals to aim toward. I'd like to think that when Perfume disbands, they'll leave with an impact. So overall, I wouldn't want an idol group to disband like SweetS did, with such little time together as a group and nowhere near their prime. But I also wouldn't want them to disband the way Kara's heading, with a chunk of the members gone and well past their prime either. Like many things in idol music, there needs to be a balance that correlates to the best time for disbandment.

And that brings me back to Kara. I think Kara should disband for a number of reasons: lineup changes, loss of relevance, decline in musical quality, and longevity. The group has had a seven year run, which is a lot in idol years. I think the members of Kara have earned the right to move on to greater things, if they want to. I'm 95% certain that won't happen though; DSP will probably milk three-member Kara dry until they've squeezed absolutely every penny out of them. I feel like that's what happens with a lot of idol groups, and I'm not even talking about J-pop. I think no one wants to let go of their idol groups, and for perfectly good reasons. But every group has to disband someday, and I don't think a group should disband in the state I feel Kara's going to. It just isn't... honorable. I know honorable's not a word you'd use to describe the idol industry, but I think a group's disbandment should be handled with honor and dignity for the girls who worked so hard in it. As for now, let us gaze upon Kara as a five-member group one last time. Personally, I probably won't blog much of Kara anymore after Jiyoung's left. Already their current Japanese releases aren't grabbing me, and I have a few other idols that are. I wish all the best of luck to Kara as a trio though. Lord knows they're going to need it.

How I Got into Idols

Well, while everyone's talking about how they became wotas, why don't I join this little blogger campfire and pitch in my own story of how I got into idols?

I swear I won't talk about Perfume as much as I normally do.

Okay, Perfume really doesn't have as much to do with my story as I would like them to be but still! I'll take any excuse to add a lovely Perfume picture into a post! Relax, the story of how I got into idols won't be anywhere near as long and melodramatic as how I got into Perfume. But Perfume does play a key element in my story: something to keep in mind about Nia and Japanese music is that Perfume was the first taste of Japanese music I'd ever experienced and for a long time they were the only Japanese music I listened to. For about two years, I mainly focused on Perfume when it came to J-pop mainly because they were pretty much the only techno group I could find that held my interest. I didn't want to look at any other J-pop artists because I thought I wouldn't like them because they didn't do technopop. Sure, I looked at a little bit of Capsule and the trippiness that is Kyarypamyupamyu had yet to surface in the J-pop industry. But mostly, it was Perfume I listened to when it came to J-pop and I was completely okay with that.

However, there was one little problem when it came to Perfume... their releases. Oh no, the musical content was amazing but the time spaced in-between releases was incredibly sporadic. Hell, in 2009 the only single Perfume released was One Room Disco and after the release of their ⊿ album in July, for the rest of that year there were no Perfume releases. If any of you reading this constantly follow my blog, you know how I start acting when Perfume goes a long time without releasing anything. Perfume didn't release Mirai no Museum until six months after Spending all my time and by the time we started getting information about their next single, I was a giddy, anxious wreck. You should have seen me between the release of ⊿ and Fushizen na Girl/Natural ni Koishite! Anyways, I've always had a problem with the long dates between Perfume releasing music due to their other activities simply because of the wait. At least now I have other J-pop groups/artists I follow that help to fill that waiting gap but back in 2008/2009/2010? Nothing.

What's always struck me about how I got into idols (and Perfume) is just how randomly it happened. I'd never really had much of an interest in Japanese media, especially not the music. The only taste of Japanese media I really got during my childhood was from English-dubbed episodes of Pokemon on WB and the small handful of Sailor Moon episodes I could catch. I swear, I could never find Sailor Moon episodes on television when I was younger which is a shame because I was really drawn to the series because it combined action with girly weapons and kickass costumes. Other than that, I never really watched anime, I didn't read a lot of manga, I never cosplayed, and the only Japanese movie I ever watched was Spirited Away. I tried to read a few mangas in middle school but the only one I could get through was Fruits Basket and that's only because all my friends wouldn't stop talking about it and I wanted to know what the hell they were talking about.

But from the very small amount of Japanese animes I did watch, I remember one distinctive thing about them: the music. I loved the theme songs of Pokemon and Sailor Moon, especially Pokemon. I thought they were the coolest songs in the world and listening to them made me feel like I could go out and save the world or train Pokemon! But even then, I can't really connect that to how I got into idol music, especially considering the song that triggered my interest and intrigue with idols. The year was late 2010 and I was just starting to gather anticipation for Perfume's latest single, Nee. Since I was still in the phase of being a Perfume fan where I didn't know shit about how to keep up with the group's releases and events, I would just search for Nee on Youtube and hope that something popped up! Well, a few weeks before Nee's PV came out, there I was searching for a full rip of Nee, when another music video by another J-pop trio came out in my Related Videos section. To this day, I'm not sure what made me click on them. Was it the bright, happy colors I saw in the PV? The appealing name of the group?

I don't know, but on that day in October 2010, I discovered my first idol group that I really liked.

Yes, like so many other bloggers out there, Buono! was the first idol group that I really liked. Let me put it this way: if Perfume was the door that opened my interest in J-pop, then Buono! was the boot that pushed me through it. The first idol song I ever listened to was Rottara Rottara and it's a good thing I fell in love with that song. I'm serious, you have no idea how much I owe to Rottara Rottara; if I hadn't liked that song, I probably never would have looked into idol groups and furthermore never would have started this blog. Rottara Rottara was my gateway into idol music and it's an insanely happy and catchy song that sounds so pleasing to my ears. It's always been one of my favorite idol songs for simply how likable it sounds and the fact that it's pretty much the reason I got into idols. And from what I've read, a lot of other people got into idols via Buono! too, even if it wasn't via Rottara Rottara.

I'm actually really surprised at reading about how many people got into Hello! Project and/or idols in general thanks to Buono! I mean, I guess I could see why since their music is (or was depending on who you ask) effing awesome and they have a pretty unique sound compared to other H!P groups. If you go way back to 2011 on the Wonderland, a time when I was just starting out my paragraphs were less thick, the first PV I ever reviewed was even Hatsukoi Cider by Buono! I actually get kind of wistful when I talk about Buono! because I don't follow them anywhere near as much as I used to. I wouldn't say the group's musical output is bad or anything, just not as unique as it was way back in 2010 and Buono! isn't quite as active as they used to be ever since Shugo Chara! ended. Speaking of that show, sometimes I forget that most of Buono!'s songs were made for an anime. And ironically, I think their better songs were for Shugo Chara! with a few exceptions. For the rest of 2010, I was pretty much listening to Buono! and Perfume but mostly Buono! because I was in the "binge stage" of their music.

I think what made me like Buono!'s music so much was the style; it wasn't the cutesy diabetically sweet J-pop idol music that I'd seen bits of at that point in time. Buono! was a cool, pop-rock idol group that had an edge that I had yet to see from other J-pop artists. Of course, these were the days when I didn't know of Scandal, BiS, Tokyo Girls' Style and Baby Metal but we'll get to them later. I think the fact that Buono!'s discography consisted mostly of pop-rock music was why I became a fan of them so quickly. I've said this on a few other posts, but I am a huge alternative music fan. And rock fan. And alternative rock fan! The Cure, Mazzy Star, The Church, Arcade Fire, Garbage, Gorillaz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, R.E.M., The Smiths, Metric, The Ramones, if you took a look at my iPod, you'd probably think I was a hipster or something. Hell, I still listen to and look out for new alternative music; recently, I just started really getting into Florence + The Machine! But I digress.

I think my love of alt-rock stems mainly from my parents, especially my mom. She listens to a ton of alternative music both new and old and we jam to a lot of stuff together. But with that musical background in mind, the fact that I enjoy so much fluffy Japanese pop music in contrast to all the other music I listen to seems incredibly dissonant. When I mention to friends that I listen to J-pop, usually they're very surprised since on the outside, I don't really seem like the type of person to enjoy that genre of music. If you'd said to me when I was twelve years old, that in three years I'd be jamming out to Japanese pop music, I'd have laughed and then called 9-11 because I wouldn't know who you were! Even today, sometimes I think back and wonder just how in the hell I got into J-pop so much and didn't stop at Perfume.

I think the reason I gravitated toward Buono! was that it wasn't 100% pop music but it was a hell of a lot pop-ier than most of the other music I was listening to around 2010. Around the time I found Buono!, I really wasn't listening to pop music and I didn't even like it that much. But Buono! was a nice balance of pop and rock and I liked the way the girls looked in the Rottara Rottara music video. They looked cleaner and happier than a lot of the girl groups I'd experienced; I remember Miyabi especially sticking out to me in the Rottara Rottara video. But at the time, I had no idea who the hell these girls were, I just knew they were in some group called Buono! Well, the group name sounded cool so I looked them up on Wikipedia. Unlike Perfume, whose Wikipedia page was shit when I first looked them up, I was actually able to find a lot of good information about this happy little pop-rock J-pop group I'd stumbled upon.

It probably helped that by 2010 Buono! had been around for a few years now and I was able to browse through their discography and find some really good songs like My Boy, Honto no Jibun, Bravo Bravo, and the We Are Buono! album in its entirety. Seriously, that album's got to be one of my favorite J-pop albums. Ironically, I think I got into Buono! at one of the most inconvenient times because they had just switched labels and stopped making music for Shugo Chara! I hate to say this, but none of their post-Shugo Chara! music has really grabbed me which again, is a shame because they're one of my favorite H!P groups. Speaking of Hello! Project, Buono! was pretty much my gateway into H!P. When I figured out who was who, I went back to the Wikipedia page and found out that not only were these girls in Buono! but they were also in other groups called C-ute and Berryz Koubou! Well, being the pixelated person I was at that moment, I clicked on those pages thinking "Wow! There must be more awesometacular pop-rock music in these groups!!!"

Right? Because we all know that Berryz and C-ute are just like Buono!

The resemblance is uncanny

But 2010-Nia didn't know what she was getting into. So I looked them up on Youtube and lo and behold, found stuff by them! A lot of stuff actually... But Berryz and C-ute didn't catch on quite quickly to me as Buono! did. I think the biggest problem I had with those two groups, especially C-ute, was the line distribution. Boy golly gee, big surprise, huh? I remember being really miffed that only two people ever got to sing in C-ute and that Berryz wasn't much better. I was also very 50/50 on the music of each group. I liked more of C-ute's music than Berryz but even then, I was hesitant to become a fan because why should I when I can only hear two of five girls singing? Don't get me wrong, there were songs I liked such as Tokaikko Junjou, Otakebi Boy WAO!, Namida no Iro, and Dakishimete Dakishimete but even then I felt kind of weirded out looking at their PVs, especially the older ones.

There was something about how young the girls looked in PVs like Ookina Ai de Motenashite and Special Generation that really put me off. Maybe it was because the society I'd been brought up in was so cautious when it comes to how kids are presented (you should see all the shit child beauty pageants get) and the way these groups looked felt... wrong in my eyes. And then I found out about just what an idol was and what they did and who their demographic was. When I found out that the main demographic of idols were mostly older men, I was really appalled yet fascinated at the same time. The concept of a Japanese idol was completely alien and just the weirdest thing for me to read about because of the way these girls were marketed and what their image was supposed to be. It was such a contrast from American media and although at first, I didn't really want to look into these idol groups because I wasn't the demographic (and I was creeped out by the demographic most groups appealed to).

But... they grew on me. Over the months of October and November, Berryz Koubou and C-ute grew on me. As much as I wanted to stick with Buono! and Perfume, I found myself going back to these idol music videos and songs. I didn't want to but there was something about the innocence of the music and image that I hadn't seen a long time in music. And you know what? That's probably why I gravitated toward idol music so quickly. For the past few years, I had been surrounding myself with so much darker and more mature music that the whiplash to such a lighthearted and innocent style of music was such a contrast that I enjoyed it. I began to really like C-ute and Berryz and through those two groups, I began to look further into Hello! Project. I found out about the other groups like S/mileage and Mano Erina and Tsunku and how long this agency of idols had been around. It was impressive to me and the music I found was fun and catchy. Ironically, the last H!P group I looked into was its flagship group, Morning Musume. I don't know why I took so long to take a look at them when I was eating up C-ute/Berryz/S/mileage music... maybe because I didn't feel the need to? I was having lots of fun looking at the current H!P groups and didn't want to look at Morning Musume yet.

But around December, I finally gave Momusu a chance though my encounter with them was mostly coincidental. I saw a related video in C-ute's Aitai Lonely Christmas PV and it turned out to be Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game. I like the song so I thought since I was busy looking at all the other H!P acts, why not Morning Musume as well? So for the rest of November and December, I dug through Momusu's old stuff and then surprise! Three members were graduating! I was kind of surprised since I'd literally just gotten into Morning Musume but I was excited that new members would be coming in. And so the first auditions I experienced with Morning Musume were the 9th Generation auditions. For the first four months of 2011, I pretty much just focused on Hello! Project's music and news. But in April, it finally happened.

I opened up my heart and let the AKB48 in.

Oh believe me, getting into AKB48 was a process. Not only because I came across so many H!P fans who wanted to bash them over the head with a spiked baseball bat but also because my first encounter with AKB48 was the Heavy Rotation PV. I think you all know what I'm talking about when I refer to that music video but you can read more about that little incident in my own review of the Heavy Rotation PV. Anyways, it wasn't until Sakura no Ki ni Narou that I started to think that hey, maybe this group isn't as bad as I thought they were! So then I really started putting effort into finding more music by AKB48 and I even started to look into their sisters groups SKE48, SDN48 and the newly-formed NMB48! I remember really liking Banzai Venus by SKE48 just because of how explosively energetic and happy that song sounded. But I found great songs like Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou, Beginner, 10nen Zakura and by the time Everyday, Katyusha was released, I had pretty much been won over by AKB48 and all its craziness.

Halfway through 2011, I'd even managed to sort a few names and faces within the group! And then I developed favorites like Akimoto Sayaka, Minegishi Minami and Takahashi Minami! I actually think that one of the reasons why I started liking AKB48 so quickly despite becoming a fan of H!P first was that I started liking AKB48 around the time that I was starting to see the cracks in Hello! Project such as bad line distribution, cheap PVs and hit-or-miss music, especially for Morning Musume. I remember I loathed Only You but then I loved Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai... So as I started seeing those problems within H!P, naturally I gravitated toward AKB48 because they were different from H!P and didn't have those same problems. Of course, they have a slew of other problems too (bland songs, scandals left and right, underexposure for half the girls in the group, etc.) and both AKB48 and H!P made me realize that no idol group would be perfect and they all have their own flaws.

But in 2011, AKB48 and Hello! Project weren't the only idol groups I started getting into. Whenever I would look up news to see what either group was up to, I'd usually see other links about news from other idol groups. Becoming curiouser and curiouser in finding more idol groups, I'd click on those links, especially if they were links to music videos. Typically, not a lot of the related idol groups I saw really grabbed me but there were several exceptions. In fact, I'd say 2011 was really the year I got into idols (but 2012 was a year where I found even more). With idols, I started with the pretty mainstream groups (H!P, AKS) and from their narrowed my tastes and preferences down to idol groups independent of those agencies. I remember when I first started actively looking for more idol groups, I always had a tendency to gravitate towards the more serious/mature sounding groups, particularly Tokyo Girls' Style. In fact, TGS was probably the first group outside of H!P and AKS that really impressed me by their mature image and surprisingly good music.

I also think that's why I like Brand-new Idol Society so much; I've always said I follow BiS for their music. Ever since I saw My Ixxx, I've been less focused on their controversial PVs and more on the awesomeness of their songs. BiS has a more grunge/alternative musical style which again, draws back to my own alt-rock musical roots. But even though I do enjoy a lot of idol rock (like Baby Metal's becoming a favorite of mine), I also enjoy the more pop-oriented sounding idol songs. Which is a good thing, because that's pretty much what most idol music is! Of course, you all know I can't stand bland-styled idol music... but I could spend a whole editorial on that topic of idol music. I've always thought of idol music as like that balance to all the other music I listen to; the sweet to balance out the bitter, if that makes sense. I feel like as each month passes by, I'm more opening to new groups; hell, I'm even starting to get into Momoiro Clover Z!

However, I think one of the biggest components of my idol expansion was my decision to become an idol blogger. I remember back in 2011 when I read idol blogs like the morning paper, actively reading reviews and mentally pitching my own two cents in. Through idol blogs, not only did I read about some new groups but I also got to read reviews of some idols I already knew about. I noticed that H!P and AKB48 were the big two groups that got blogged about and that some other idol groups I'd started getting into like BiS and Tokyo Girls' Style were rarely talked about. And of course, my beloved Perfume hardly ever got reviewed on any of these idol blogs. But like I said I'm not focusing on Perfume for this story! Of the many reasons, I started idol blogging, one of them was so that I could take it upon myself to write about some groups that many idol blogs overlooked. So when I first made the decision to actively start idol blogging, one of the first things I tried to do was make a list of what groups I wanted to review. Obviously, Perfume was on that list and so was Hello! Project, AKB48 and its sister groups, Tokyo Girls' Style... and that was pretty much it.

I decided to just go with the flow and see what other idol groups popped up that interested me. I figured that since now I would be looking for news of idol releases more frequently, I'd have a better chance of discovering more idol groups that I'd want to write about. And find some I did! Over 2012, other than those main groups I listed, I reviewed BiS, Bump.y, Kara, Kyarypamyupamyu, Momoiro Clover Z, Naaboudoufu@nana, Passpo, Scandal, and Weather Girls! And those are all idol groups that I intend to follow in 2013, if everything runs smoothly in my life outside of idol blogging. Being surrounded by so many different reviews and opinions was what really helped me discover not only my love for idol music but also my love of the idol fandom. Sure, I know we bitch and moan about things, but overall, this is the first fandom that I've really had fun in.

I actually think me getting into idols helped me look at other aspects of Japanese media such as anime and even Japanese film. Like I said, before I starting getting into idol groups, I rarely watched anime, especially as I got older. But when I found out Buono!'s music was used for this anime called Shugo Chara! I thought why not? I'll watch that! However, Shugo Chara! did not keep me interested. I'm sure it's a decent anime and has a lot of fans but the show was just too girly for me. After that, there were a couple other animes I tried to get through but I stopped watching most of them after a few episodes. However, there were a few exceptions such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, as you can tell by the picture used above! I finished that anime a month or so ago and I really enjoyed the themes. I loved the exploration of gender roles, shoujo character archetypes, sexuality, adolescence, it's just a really thought-provoking anime. I'm also watching AKB0048 which proved to be a surprisingly engaging anime but maybe that's just because I'm a fan of AKB48 and I think it's awesome seeing the concept of that group in fictional form. I think it allows for an interpretation of idol life in a different setting that you could never really see with real-life idols.

Other those, the only other two animes I've watched all the way through are Cowboy Bebop and Puealla Magi Madoka Magica (which both are very good, especially Cowboy Bebop!). But I'm finding other anime that I want to start watching like Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion! But before you ask, no, I do not plan on watching Kirarin Revolution any time soon. I wouldn't say I'm a huge anime fan but I have found shows that I enjoyed watching! And along with a few animes, I've started watching more Japanese film, especially Hayao Miyzaki. Okay, when I was little I did watch Spirited Away but now I appreciate that movie along with a lot of other Studio Ghibli films I've seen now. And I've even watched several J-horror films ranging from totally disturbing (Audition) to unintentionally hilarious (Tokyo Gore Police).

Well damn. Here I said "Oh yeah! This post won't be as long as that post on how I got into Perfume!" and here I am eleven paragraphs later typing my conclusion! Back in 2010, I thought my interest in idols was just a phase; if so, it's been one effing long phase, hasn't it? In hindsight, me getting into idols and idol music seems rather unusual but overall, I've really enjoyed it. I've enjoyed following the news, blogging about idols, talking with other fans about idols, and the entire experience as a whole. Are there parts that can be a little dismaying about the idol fandom sometimes? Sure, but that's the case with just about every fandom you get into. I love idol music and I hope that for many years into the future, that love for idols will still be strong.

The Girl Beneath the Mask

Disclaimer: this post discusses extremely sensitive topics including suicide and contains an image that may not be suitable for all readers. I very strongly recommend approaching this post with caution, especially if you have been personally affected by suicide. 

Look at that idol. Isn't she pretty? What could possibly be wrong with her life?

That idol is Okada Yukiko and you idol history buffs might recognize her as an idol from the 80s and the rest of you might even know a little bit about her history thanks to Ray's post on Idolminded! But for those of you who don't know who I'm talking about, here's a little history on this 80s idol! Okada Yukiko was first discovered in 1983 on a Japanese talent show (think American Idol only from the 80s and in Japan) called Star Tanjo! and even went on to win the show. And so her idol career began. Okada gained the affectionate fan nickname "Yukko" after mispronouncing her name due to nervousness when introducing herself on The Best Ten, an old TBS Show. Yukko's first single, titled First Date, which debuted at #20 on the Oricon Charts. Now that might be the most stellar position to debut with but as the year progressed, Yukko started getting more and more attention as an idol. She released two more singles that year and both were received well by both her growing amount of fans and critics alike. In 1984, Yukko won Best New Artist for her song -Dreaming Girl- Koi, Hajimemashite at the 26th Japan Record Awards. At the rate she was going, Yukko had a promising career ahead of her. 1985 only brought more good fortune for the blossoming idol and she released three more singles that year and snagged a leading role on a TV Drama. Her songs were used for a variety of commercials including Glico and Toshiba U30. 1986 started off great for the idol as well; her 8th single, Kuchibiru Network, hit #1 on the charts! Fans loved her for her sweet personality, her simple but sweet voice, her cute and innocent looks, and most of all, that beautiful smile she always seemed to wear. Yukko was the quintessential idol and she had the potential to reach the level of idol stardom that Matsuda Seiko possessed.

So why am I writing about her anyways? What stands out so much about Yukko to me? I mean, I know about other classic idols like Matsuda Seiko, Nakamori Akina, Moritaka Chisato, Pink Lady, Onyanko Club and so on but generally the older idols from the 70s and 80s don't really interest me. Okay, Nakamori Akina's music is pretty cool but other than her I don't look much into the older idol boom. I know it's a huge part of what led to the modern-day idol industry and I appreciate it for that but I still don't have a lot of interest for the idols or music from back then. What is it that separates Yukko from all those other idols? I've listened to some of her songs and they're okay, nothing special but very pleasant to listen to. She has a beautiful smile, but she's not the most striking idol I've ever seen. From what I've seen of her TV appearances she has a sweet personality but not one that really distinguishes itself. That doesn't really seem like enough material to generate an entire article, does it? Well, I'm afraid to say that a more tragic element of Yukko's life is what compelled me to write about her. On April 8, 1986 around 10:00 at night, the manager of Sun Music entered Yukko's apartment to find it filled with gas (a common method of suicide in Japan is gassing). And in the closet lay Okada Yukiko, her wrist slashed and crying her eyes out. Why? No one knows but the manager took her back to the Sun Music building. Roughly two hours later, Yukko jumped from the seven-story building.

On April 8, 1986 Okada Yukiko the smiling idol was dead on the sidewalk at age 18.

I got chills when I was reading about Yukko's suicide. I'm not exaggerating; I looked down and my arms were covered in goosebumps. It was shocking and sad... but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fascinating either. I've always had a knack for mysteries, and the suicide of Okada Yukiko was one of the most mysterious things I've encountered during all my time as an idol blogger. I read on and found out that Yukko's suicide triggered a small amount of other suicides mirroring her own, including one fan who jumped off the same building she did. The small phenomenon was coined the Yukko Syndrome and that was yet another element to this strange, disturbing piece of idol history. But honestly, as someone who blogs about idols, that little tidbit wasn't what interested me the most about this whole thing. What simultaneously interested and disturbed was the more of the fact that an idol took her own life. It's very rare that you read about dead idols and the way Yukko died is not only sad but a mystery.

I'm aware that the life of an idol isn't all rainbows and flowers but why on earth did this idol feel like her life wasn't worth living anymore? Isn't that always the question when someone takes their own life? Why did they do it? Why did Yukko, this beautiful idol with the start of a such promising career ahead of her, do it? I honestly don't know; there's too little concrete evidence to really back up any of the theories I've developed. All I can ever really do is speculate. I don't know if Yukko had any skeletons in her closet or any emotional problems; on the surface she seemed like a normal, happy girl to everyone, including her fans. Relatives and friends reported that she seemed like a perfectly happy person during the time of her suicide. My personal theory is that stress had an element in the idol's suicide; I think the weight of being an idol just... got to her. Or I guess I should say one specific element of being an idols: The Mask.

The Mask is a personal term that I use for idols and the definition is somewhat self-explanatory. The Mask is simply the public persona an idol takes on, the personality she projects to her fans, regardless of what she's really like. The Mask could be very similar to her own personality or it could be a completely different persona that she feels compelled to keep up because the fans like it or because management shoehorns her into it. But the key element of The Mask is that it is not what an idol's true personality is like. Very rarely do we see that girl beneath her mask because that's not an idol's job. She's not supposed to wear her heart on her sleeve; she's supposed to smile and be happy and get wotas to buy her songs and photobooks. I think something that I tend to forget is just how meticulously and how much an idol has to wear that mask. It's true that we all have our own personal masks and that we all act different ways around different people and that it can be very mentally exhausting to constantly keep up an act. But usually there comes a time when we can stop and take off that mask.

An idol doesn't have that same luxury, especially a popular idol. A popular idol constantly has to keep up this personality that may or may not reflect who she really is as a person, constantly balancing herself on this emotional tightrope. If she lets the wrong emotion break free, she could very well slip off that tightrope, losing fans and maybe even popularity. For that reason, being an idol is not just a job; it's a lifestyle and if a girl isn't prepared to take on that lifestyle, then it could really be stressful. The idea of having to consistently keep up an act and behave a certain way with the risk of losing fans is a strenuous thought. I know I could only keep it up for so long. My personal theory is that Okada Yukiko couldn't take being a smiling idol anymore; perhaps it was stress or perhaps she realized that she couldn't bear the strain of being an idol. So feeling like there was no escape from the life she had ahead of her, she ended it.

Mind you, it's just one of the many theories floating around but thinking about Okada Yukiko and her suicide made me realize something: of all the idols I follow, all the groups I'm a fan of, I know nothing about these girls. Sure, I have favorites, I praise certain girls' personalities and criticize others but at the end of the day, I know nothing about them. All I know is the image they've carefully constructed to please their fanbase and I've made judgement on which ones I like based on that. But then again, that is the purpose of an idol. Idols aren't supposed to be these multi-faceted people we can observe with both positive and negative traits. Idols exist to be that shining illusion that we can admire, idealism all wrapped up in a shiny pink bow. We're not supposed to identify with these girls' problems; we're supposed to identify with their perpetual happiness and smiles and any other image created by The Mask an idol wears. The only group I feel like I know more about beyond just The Mask is Perfume but even then that's not much. For all the years I've been following them, I only know so much about Perfume. Granted, it's more than some of the other idols I follow but still. It isn't like the teen celebrities in the US, where it feels like you know every aspect of their life and personality because the tabloids and gossip magazines cover it so much.

You only see what management wants you to see out of an idol and if an idol does something that management didn't want the public to see, such as dating in public, the idol gets punished. Then the affair is quickly swept under the rug before anyone can realize what happened and fans move on to another shiny new idol that won't make mistakes like that other tarnished, no good idol. Very rarely do you see traces of an idol's true personality because they spend so much time looking and acting in a certain way to appeal to a certain demographic. It doesn't matter how sad they feel, how angry they feel, or anything else because the moment she steps out in public, an idol puts on a mask. Is it stressful? Probably, but it's their job and they know that they could risk their entire career if they act in a way that isn't the norm of how idols are supposed to act.

And when an idol does show signs of an emotion that isn't acceptable for idols? Don't expect the fans to be happy because god forbid an idol display any signs of how she truly feels about something. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; it's only natural. We latch onto an image we carefully construct of an idol. And when that idol does something that doesn't fit with that image we have of her, we get angry. We get hurt. We don't know what to think. We wonder why did they do it and question our loyalty to them. And that brings me to Kusumi Koharu. I'm sure a majority of you know who and what I'm talking about (since I'm fairly certain most of my readers are Momusu fans) but for those of you who don't, here's a brief history on this idol. Koharu was the sole 7th Generation member of Morning Musume, dubbed the "Miracle Idol" of MM. She spent four years in the group with a pretty decent amount of popularity thanks to her job as a voice actress on popular kids' show, Kirarin Revolution, with her brief solo career as an anime singer and a nice amount of vocals and spotlight in Momusu.

In December 2009, she graduated and went on to become a highly photogenic model. Now obviously Koharu was before my time as an Momusu fan and I honestly don't really pay attention to her. She'll never be one of my favorites but I've never disliked her; I simply never had the chance to grow attached to her and become a fan because she wasn't in Morning Musume anymore. The reason I bring her up was because very recently, Koharu had a scandal. Not a dating scandal but something a little more potent to her fans. On a radio show with Sayumi, Koharu was discussing her past in Momusu, saying how she'd only joined the group to get a stepping stone into the entertainment industry and become a model. She expressed displeasure with the (mostly) male fanbase she catered to as an MM member so she claimed that she left the group while she was still young enough to pursue other career choices. Naturally, it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, including her fans. Left and right people accused her of being ungrateful toward both Momusu and all the opportunities presented because of that.

Do I think all the flack she's getting for this little scandal is reasonable? Well... yes and no. I say yes because I do agree that she sounded ungrateful for the opportunities presented thanks to her position as a Morning Musume member. I also think it was foolish of Koharu to say such things with a Morning Musume member on the same radio show. But on the other hand... okay, have you guys ever done something that you really, truly hated? Something you thought you were going to enjoy and that everyone else enjoyed? I think most of us can say yes we have. Back in fifth grade, I joined a dance team because I thought it would be fun to dance to something besides ballet and being on a team would be a fun way to meet new friends. It turned out to ruin fifth grade for me. On the team, I was ostracized for being a bad dancer, constantly told what I was doing wrong, and generally left out. It was awful. And do you know something else? I could vent for hours about how much I hated that fucking dance team. The hatred I have for it seems to have built up as I've gotten older and I only look back on the experience with bad memories and an overall bitter outlook.

Now who's to say that Koharu doesn't feel the same way about Morning Musume? From what I've gathered, Koharu wasn't exactly the most welcome member of the group. Sayumi's stated that she was a pain to mentor, she was never really close to anyone in the group, and at her graduation, her fellow members seemed rather distant to her leaving. Koharu said that she wanted a cool image like Yossie and what mask did she get? The cutesy and smiling Kirari-type character. I don't know what went on behind the doors of UFA between Morning Musume and Koharu but if she had a bad experience in MM, wouldn't it be hard to project an illusion of it being the greatest time of her life and all that sparkle? I think on the radio show, she just got mad that yet again, she had to talk about a time in her life that she was more than ready to leave behind even if it had given her so many opportunities. So she vented and put her foot in her mouth, regardless of the consequences.

As much as I hate to admit it, learning how Koharu felt about Morning Musume is kind of a relief. It's refreshing to see an idol speak with such genuine negativity, even though I know her fans didn't like that. I don't know why but it's strangely fascinating to catch a glimpse of the girl beneath the mask. Like I said, seeing an idol express any emotions that aren't happy, lighthearted, jovial, etc. is extremely rare and I never expected Koharu of all idols to do so. I know there are a lot of people who are going to dislike her for her statements about Morning Musume but I can't help but admire the nerve (or foolishness) Koharu has. Because hearing her say something so harsh is strangely relatable; it's relatable to me to know that Koharu had an experience that she felt jaded about and even more relatable that Koharu spoke about it in public. It's a nice reminder to me that idols are people too and people hate things, even when they're supposed to like them. So I guess what I'm trying to say about this entire post is... there's more to an idol that what meets the eye and that may be an uglier and nastier side that she has to hide but nevertheless it's there. Beyond the sparkles and the frilly dresses and microphones are real teenage girls with a range of different problems that we will never see thanks to those carefully constructed masks that these idols wear. I just hope that no idol feels compelled to go in the same direction that Okada Yukiko left.

Is Lip-Syncing Such a Bad Thing?

Quick! Name one criticism both AKB48 and Perfume both frequently receive! Did you guess lip-syncing? I really hope you did because that's what I'm talking about today!

Ah, lip-syncing. I always die a little inside when anyone brings this topic up. When people think of lip-syncing, they tend to think of it as an unholy evil only used by the lowest form of muck, the souls who are damned to hell for all eternity for their failure to sing live- okay, maybe they don't think that but lip-syncing is right up there with Autotune in terms of how many people hate it. And I can see why. How often do you read on other blogs "Oh yeah, I cant' stand [insert group here] because they always lip sync at their lives,"? Common consensus about lip-syncing is that it's a lazy and cheap route in place of singing live. People criticize that it doesn't make a live performance really live, how it's an attempt to hide how bad a singer sounds in real life, how it makes the performances feel less genuine, I'm sure you can find plenty of criticisms out there on the Internet. Go forth and come back and tell me how much people hate lip-syncing.

Bottom line is lip-syncing is pretty frowned upon by a lot of people. And honestly, if you had asked me a few years ago, I probably would have been in the same boat with them. I thought lip-syncing was the worst abomination to ever plague the world of music! It made me feel cheated out of a real performance; I still remember the first (and only actually...) concert I ever went to: Hilary Duff. Go ahead and laugh but I was stoked to see my childhood idol up on the stage performing cheesy teen pop. Then she lip synced and the whole experience was ruined for me. Before my Perfume-craze, I was very against lip-syncing and even when I became a fan of Perfume I still side-eyed it. So what changed my outlook on it? Well, to fully explain why I'm going to tell you a little story from my own personal life. And yes, I know you probably care about my personal life as much as I care about the musical content Super Girls release but I promise there's a point I'm trying to make!

So a little over a year ago, before this blog even existed, I was spending all my time at an arts school with a name that's not important to this story for the summer. Anyways, at this school, I was there to develop my education in the dramatic arts and all that jazz and for one of our assignments, our vocal and dance classes were combined to work on a musical number. We were split into two groups and we were given a song; we then had to learn that song, choreograph a dance for that song, and finally perform the finished number for the other group. For my group, we were assigned You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray. And if you don't know that song, here's a link so you can hear how upbeat this particular song is. The song was easy enough to sing even for a crow like me but when we started dancing and adding choreography to it, I swear it became one of the most difficult things I've ever done.

Everyone, including myself, was constantly out of breath during the song because of the energetic dancing we had to do hence our vocals were incredibly strained and our dancing grew increasingly sloppy as we got increasingly tired. Somehow we managed to pull off a pretty dazzling number but I'm fairly certain that afterward we all collapsed into one giant heap of sweat and exhaustion. And this was one musical number with choreography nowhere near as complicated as the dances you see from 95% of K-pop groups whose names I don't bother to remember. But it was so hard. I really can't emphasize how hard this was for me to do and how physically exhausted and winded I was after the performance was over. But I'm glad I did that because I had never really understood the difficulty of staging a full-fledged performance until I had done one myself. Now that I have, I think I have a better understanding of why certain artists like AKB48 and Perfume lip-sync.

Let's start with Perfume because Perfume is simply the bomb. However, not everyone agrees with that opinion and one of the biggest criticisms Perfume has always received is "Why the hell don't they sing live?" And that's putting it nicely. Aside from the obvious reason that the vocoders used for their songs would make 90% of their live performances sound like crap, with a group like Perfume, it isn't just about singing. Hell, concerts in general aren't about just singing; that's what recording studios are for. Don't get me wrong, vocals are an extremely important factor to concerts but there are a myriad of other things that add to a good performance such as dancing, costuming, effects, MCs, on-stage personalities, etc. A concert is an experience that transcends only singing and it should pull you in to this different world of the music of an artist you love. Why else do you think famous artists incorporate so many themes and effects into concerts? It's so catch our attention, to separate itself from a mere recording of the song you could pick up on iTunes.

To someone in the audience, a good concert probably looks like it has a lot of stuff going on but to the artists performing on stage it feels like even more and it's incredibly exhausting to execute a "good" performance. So it doesn't surprise me that Perfume, a group that has live concerts filled with all sorts of different effects, dances, and eye-catching things, would decide to lip-sync for a majority of their performances. And honestly? I'd rather watch an artist who lip-syncs pull of an amazing and entrancing concert than pay to see another artist who does sing live just stand in front of a microphone. Look at Lana Del Rey. She's got a lovely voice but her live performances are boring as hell because she spends most of them standing and occasionally swaying to her right or left. What Perfume may lack in live vocals they make up for in complex, intricate dancing, stunning visual effects, strong personalities projecting from each of the girls, and simply such an amazing stage presence that watching one of their lives on a computer screen makes me feel like I'm actually at one of their concerts.

And then there's AKB48. When they're not being criticized for prancing around bikinis, one of the most vocal (Get it? Vocal?) criticisms about them is how much they lip-sync. And yeah, they do it a lot, especially in televised performances. Stage shows, I'm a little less sure about but from what I've heard they lip-sync a lot during their stage shows as well. Now there choreography isn't anywhere near as complicated as Perfume's; what excuse could they possibly have? Just... okay, pretend you're a member of AKB48. Not just any member, one of the most popular members; for this scenario, let's say you're Kashiwagi Yuki; she's bland enough that anyone with a black wig could be her anyways. As Kashiwagi Yuki, you lead a very busy life in AKB48 ranging from promoting the latest single to rehearsing stage songs to posing for photo shoots to live events like handshakes or autograph signings. In layman's terms, you have a very busy and tightly scheduled life that is physically grueling and strenuous because you're so high in demand. Not only are you expected to be an idol, you're expected to be a top idol and live up to the expectations your wide fanbase has for you. Being an idol isn't just about singing; it's about image. But what do you know; just when you think you're done of the day, you still have the daily stage show to perform in! By this point, you are completely wiped out from the busy day you've had. So the options for you are either a) Perform live at the cost of sounding exhausted and strained because of all the dancing that accompanies their songs or b) Take the easier option and lip-sync, lifting much of the pressure and difficulty of.

These girls are constantly doing stage shows every night and twice a day on weekends, and the more popular girls have even more obligations like shoots, CMs, broadcast performances, music videos to record, TV shows like AKBingo!, etc., etc. AKB48 as a whole is the top idol group as of 2012 and even the most unpopular members are still probably in somewhat high demand for stage shows, handshake events, and the likes. To have such a continuously busy schedule is exhausting. And let me tell you, when you're exhausted, your singing is shit. But that doesn't matter to the fans who most likely don't have that schedule; they're just happy they won tickets and are most likely praying that the AKB48 stage shows are everything they hoped for in their wildest dreams. They expect some level of quality combined with the fanservice that comes from any idol performance and no matter how tired or exhausted these girls are, they have to deliver that quality. So what better option to take than the one that will lift a lot of stress of these girls shoulders when doing big group numbers and upbeat songs that require a lot of physical and vocal energy than to lip-sync?

So does this automatically mean that any famous artist with a stressful schedule will lip-sync for convenience's sake? Absolutely not! There are a few subversions I know about and if you dig around, I'm certain there are plenty of famous artists who don't lip sync. But for this post's sake (and my own accuracy), I'm going to use the woman in the above picture as an example. This is Mizuki Nana. She sings live. A lot. Now I don't know what your vocal preferences are but I think a general amount of people can agree that she has a pretty good and well-developed voice that doesn't sound strained live. And if you bothered to look at any of those links above, then you'd also notice that her movements don't take a toll on her voice; she isn't dancing as much as groups like Perfume and Morning Musume are but she's still moving a good deal and constantly engaging the audience. Do you want to know why Mizuki Nana is able to pull this off so smoothly? She's been training since she was five; just to give you an idea of how long she's been singing, Mizuki Nana is currently 32 years old.

Another more idol-related example is C-ute. I have a lot of respect for C-ute because they have such complicated dances but they still manage to sound amazing live. Just look at their lives! And again, that's because they've been doing this for ten years. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but looking at groups like C-ute and Berryz Koubou (to an extent; I like C-ute better) shows that it sure as hell can you get you close. But not a lot of idol groups and singers have had the same level of training and practice as these artists have so I can understand why they would lip-sync. It's a safe alternative to the otherwise risky decision of having new, inexperienced idols perform live. And that's where the biggest double standard comes in. If you sing live but can't pull off singing live, then people will criticize your poor vocals, weak performances, etc. However, if you resort to lip-syncing because you suck live, then just as quickly a lot of people will criticize you even more for taking the easy way out of live performances. It's quite the double-edged sword. So am I saying that lip-syncing should be encouraged? No, absolutely not, but I do think that the reverse of that should be. I wish artists would get more recognition for not lip-syncing and still pulling off an equally charismatic live performance as an artist who did lip-sync.

So in conclusion, no, I don't think lip-syncing is anywhere near as horrendous as lot of people make it out to be and I applaud artists who put time in effort into delivering a performance sung live. What I hope people will take from this post is a better understanding of why artists lip-sync and that it isn't necessarily such an abomination as a lot of people make it out to be. Good day to you; I'm going to go hide under a rock and come out once everyone who's pissed off at this post has left!