Pleasure Principled

Revealingly Articulate Idol Worship

Florida is an unexpected hotbed for geek convention culture: AFO, Metrocon, AX, JACON, Megacon…just to name a few. As much as time and money allows, I like to be a part of that culture. Having moved mostly beyond anime, however, I’ve been left wondering: where is my fandom? Where is the representation of J-Pop at anime conventions where, logically, it might be readily embraced? The connection is hardly tenuous, as all anime fans I know take at least a passing interest in the music that bookends episodes. But I’ve only seen bands like L’arc en Ciel, Dir en Grey, and An Café (read: J-Rock) gain any convention merchandising. I’m overjoyed to pick up a Mini Moni UFO catcher or a Maki Goto shitajiki, but usually I’m digging through dealer bind to come across those rare finds.

So in 2007 I decided that matters needed hands to be taken into. Mine seemed as good as any, since I enjoy blathering about things in front of an audience. But I tend to be a bit of a spazz when I’m explaining things I like, so I was nervous. It turns out that my fears were largely unwarranted, because when the J-Pop Panel premiered at Anime South III, a whopping five people attended for the duration.

Since then I haven’t seen much of a boom in interest. I find it more productive to wonder why rather than whine. There are the meta reasons (poor location, being scheduled opposite a guest of honor, no advertising around the con), but it goes so much deeper than that: is it that difficult to set the bait for potential J-Pop fans? If so, how can it be done with ease and finesse? In my deliberations, I’ve pinpointed a few elements on the spectrum that may be analyzed on the way to winning casual fans to the J-Pop world.

For starters, there’s the pesky nomenclature. I’ll be the first to confirm that “J-Pop” is a blanket term for Japanese music throughout the industry. But I’ve had people walk out of my panel – or in and out – when I’ve stated my reluctance to talk about J-Rock. It’s not that I don’t like it, but it tends to sell itself. No one needs a guide to like Orange Range or Polysics, and I wouldn’t be the best guide in the first place. If pengie (of the fabulous blog unchained) were there, I’d hand ‘em over to her without hesitation. She can hook someone on the harder bands without problems. With me, it’s like your friend’s drunk mom trying to explain J-Rock. Not pretty, is it? The rock bands look more approachable (yes, even VK), because the outrageously hardcore is much more palatable than the appallingly cute.

I don’t blame these people for being initially wary of SweetS or Hello! Project. As is too often the rub with popular music, image comes before sound, and few can get past the “pedophilia parade”. (Yes. That has been said to me. I was watching Wonderful Hearts Land on my lunch break). As much as we want others to see and hear the J-Pop we know and love, it’s not all that discomfiting to step out of our sphere and say “wow…this is a little strange.” Take, for instance, the mother of all 2008 strangeness, Milky Way’s ‘Anataboshi’. Without any explanation, this is how it plays out: “Underaged girls in impossibly frilly, shiny pastel outfits sing and dance frenetically while waving light-up, heart-shaped tambourines. There are bagpipes and the whole thing sounds overtly Riverdancey and vaguely Indian.” I don’t know; in some hipster circles, maybe that would be considered an awesome fringe to be on. But for the mainstream? Ouch.

Perhaps it’s different in other countries, but in the USA we are endlessly obsessed with what other people think. I mean, to unhealthy levels. It’s hard to like what you want, because even if you try to keep it discreet, people are going to say things like “what’s with the kiddie music?” or “what is this moonspeak on your iPod?” (okay, that’s a stretch, but it would be funny). It’s somehow cooler and more acceptable when it’s at least a little rockin’.

Because, dear wota, non-initiates are a most judgmental lot. I show PV’s as part of my panel, and where the concensus for ‘Resonant Blue’ was: “like the song, hate the video” (at least they agree with us there), less hokey fare like ‘Secret Secret’ won over the room. But I couldn’t keep showing PVs with high production values. Not only are there not many, but some of the most well-loved J-Pop music is accompanied by some terrible, terrible PVs. Of course this all depends on your defintion of a terrible PV, but when I show friends early Morning Musume videos my heart dies a little.

The swath is not entirely broad, though, and standing on the shores of Painful PV River are Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, and Ai Otsuka. Maybe it’s just that avex has a bigger budget, but even Ayumi made ‘ANGEL’S SONG’, which could go down in history as one of the most unexpectedly hilarious PVs in any language (not in a good way), and for every ‘ROCK STEADY’ there are three or four Utada Hikarus washing dishes for four minutes (’Hikari’) or Aya Ueto ruining a perfectly great song with inexcusably stilted and anti-climactic visuals (’Usotsuki’). This doesn’t even begin to explore the cookie-cutter formula of most idol group PVs, which only deviate to be blatantly sexual (AKB48) or randomly insane (anything Koharu Kusumi touches goes here). Maybe we’re all numb to the cheesy low budget of H!P by now, or acclimated to the boring concepts of balladeers.

Americans paved the way for music advertisements to become miniature works of art, so it’s safe to say that we, as a nation, expect way too much from our artists. They can’t just make good music, and they can’t just be visually appealing. We must have artistry, or at least that’s what we were led to believe for a generation of MTV. Now that MTV seems to have phased out the music videos, we might be looking around for four-minute masterpieces to fill the void during stretches of insomnia on a Saturday night. We’re not going to find it in Japan. Even the potentially West-friendly Tomoko Kawase seems to revel in showing off the low budget of her videos, or even playing it up to seem lower than it is.

A good music video can create a star, and for the longest time it did. How else can you explain the Spice Girls’ popularity in the USA? Nine-tenth of J-Pop (as opposed to J-Rock) is image, and the presentation just doesn’t stack up next to the importance placed upon it in Japanese culture. You can hardly expect that to translate well.

So for us a blue screen PV is par for the course, but newcomers aren’t in on the joke yet. “Yes, this is what it’s always like,” I want to tell them, but does that frighten them away more than welcome them into the fold? And when a video does stand out, like Suzuki Ami’s latest disco offerings, detractors cry “derivative” and pretend that there’s such a thing as concept copyright (if you want to see the internet at its best, check out any recent Suzuki Ami video on YouTube and marvel at the accusations by angry Kylie Minogue fans). I’d hate to think that I have nothing but ‘FOREVER LOVE’ to look forward to for the entirety of my fandom.

I was asked at Anime South IV by a panel-goer to address what I’d like that Japanese music industry to do in order to maximize its appeal. My answer? “Better videos.” I didn’t even think, it just came out of my mouth like the natural response. I am giving my panel at anime conventions, after all. A very visual crowd, that one.

But if we’ve covered the visuals, what about the music itself? The sound is like nothing we know in the States. I don’t mean the J-Pop R&B stars like Ken Hirai, Koda Kumi, BoA… they’re reading from the right page of the “mimic this American music style” rule book. I mean our bread and butter, the idols. Would Top 40 radio ever play anything that sounded like ‘Mikan’ or ‘Strawberry Lolita in Summertime’? To that end, would they even receive the latter without sending a red flag to the local vice squad?

It’s an uphill battle, and one that is so ludicrously uphill that it’s impossible to do anything but shake your head in resignation. But that’s why world music is such a beautiful thing, that’s why the digital music revolution is so glorious! Hold on, there. Even beyond Top 40 radio, what can you easily name that sounds anything like J-Pop? Not a thing. J-Pop keeps its identity by being cartoony, almost intentionally unusual in its instrumentation and vocal styles. American listeners don’t respond well because American listeners are raised on a diet of rock guitar and drums if not on manufactured backbeats and loops.

The Pussycat Dolls use the same tired formula of Hot Girl Group + R&B Beats, whereas The Wonder Girls (most of whom cite PCD as influences) are throwing in everything from strange synthesizer whistles to bongo drums. That group in particular, who certainly benefit from the South Korean tendency to emulate the late-80’s/early-90’s style of American R&B, are on the forefront of Western listenability. So when we reach deeper into the J-Pop lockbox and produce acts like Aya Matsuura – sounding much more like a Saturday morning theme song than a new Colbie Caillat for most of her early career, thanks to the arrangements given her – it doesn’t support the case for expansion.

The problem isn’t in changing J-Pop, it’s in convincing people to give it a chance.

So what will I do in future panels? And how does this help you to introduce J-Pop to those you know? Even when we know hANGRY & ANGRY are coming to Sakura Con, we have to admit that hANGRY & ANGRY sound nothing like H!P. So take time for notations, take time for explanation. Make wotadom to newcomers what it is to us: a storied, fun landscape with its own rules, terminology, and history. It’s worryingly easy to fall into the habit of throwing out words like “graduation,” “U15,” or the like without thinking twice and considering the wider audience, but sometimes this can be a hook.

If someone’s willing to listen, go on and explain a few things. It may take some time (my dad is slowly warming up to J-Pop the more I tell him about it), but don’t approach it like a calculus class. Pull out your photo sets and try to downplay the not-so-vague sexual implications of a group like Berryz Koubou by showing interviews and explaining their personalities. Compare favorite idols to people you know, piquing curiosity and giving a common ground to stand on. It’s difficult to start with the music, but playing it in the background until someone says “hey, what’s this? I like it” instead of “turn that off” is worth the wait.

Remember that Americans don’t like to have fun. Our music, movies, and consumption in general have to be Serious Business, so most need to be tricked into liking bubblegum pop. But it can be done! Otaku are susceptible, but some are more Serious Business than most Japanese salarymen (salarymen can at least appreciate AKB48). But like hiding a pill in a sandwich to make someone take his or her medicine, it can be done. AMVs are a great opportunity – that’s Anime Music Videos, which have proliferated thanks to the ease of Windows Movie Maker. Throw a AAA song in the background of some clips from Code Geass and wait for someone – anyone – to ask. The first Morning Musume song I ever heard, actually, was ‘Renai Revolution 21′ in the background of a Sailor Moon AMV.

As for your coworkers, parents, and “normal” friends, the possibilities are slimmer, but hosting The J-Pop Panel has taught me that people love free things. Offer to burn CD’s, make playlists, loan DVD’s. Propose a concert-watching party. Make fun of it together if that’s the only way it will go off, but know that a seed is being planted regardless. Remember that your friends already like you (at least I hope so), and probably already know you’re into this stuff. I’m always curious about what my friends are into, as I hate to be left out. That’s not just a human thing, it’s a very American thing. I’ve experienced some shame in my fandom over the years, but being confident about it yields the best results. After all, I like to think I carry myself as a pretty hip, well-rounded gal. I’m not wearing cat ears and slobbering over everything Japanese. Just like in the industry itself, image as a fan means a lot. Remember that you love this, and other people should, too.

I can’t guarantee that anything will show results, even two hours in front of an enthusiastic wota at an anime convention. Let me know your success stories, or failure stories, so that we can all learn from community experience. Just don’t be afraid to try and spread the love with passion and cool. It will be much more fun in the process, and when something is a hands-on time investment for your newcomer it’s usually more likely to stick. Those who don’t want to wait for the payoff…we don’t need them, anyway. We’ll be over here enjoying our blue screen PVs until conditions improve.

POSTSCRIPT: Pending confirmation, Vee will be hosting The J-Pop Panel next at Metrocon, June 19-21 in Tampa, FL.