Pleasure Principled

Revealingly Articulate Idol Worship

While 2008 presented a whirlwind of change for the idol landscape, there are aspects of this celebrated genre which will never alter course. For the younger generation of fans, there seems to be an endless array of predecessors who embraced, improved, and ultimately helped grow the roots that make up today’s groups and artists. That said, the aura of an idol is in no way categorized simply into music releases. Theirs is an art form which transcends music, reaching deeper into the very pop culture of Japan, including personalities, variety shows, dramas, movies, and fashion. On this larger stage, idols help to weave together significant aspects of today’s youth, inspiring as role models, lending their very existence to a way of life which arguably is exclusive to Japan itself.

2008 became a year for reflection. In the simplest sense much of it can be attributed to economic temperament, as not even this cultural phenomenon could escape its wrath. The history of idol groups has long seen the pitfalls and triumphs which follow trends, popularity, and other aspects that drive the community. The late eighties to mid nineties reveals an idol boom as music artists rode a surge, feeding off a stable economy as well as a seemingly insatiable yearning for the unique facets only this genre can produce. But by the mid nineties much of what had been built had quickly evaporated; the idol world experienced a somewhat brief recession which only seemed to awaken with the arrival of super girl groups such as SPEED, as well as the now legendarily prolific arrival of Morning Musume and the Hello! Project collective, which grew beyond what I could imagine the producers of Asayan or Tsunku himself envisioned back then.

But even great things must pass, and in this case required the need for a sink or swim mentality. 2008 saw specific changes made for the sake of survival: for example, Idoling! looks to partner with AKB48 in parts of their lineups, though it’s arguably more for the former group’s benefits rather than the latter. In the past, the shelf life an idol or group relied entirely on their own ability to prolong careers; any drastic drop in sales or overall popularity meant that it was time to hang things up, which record labels and management rarely hesitated to do so in most cases.

However, with the arrival of Hello! Project came an entirely new philosophy as individual idols and groups themselves could be recreated or re-packaged to meet the trends and demands of fans, leaving behind the need for final abandonment. Japan’s already fickle music environment reflects a culture that readily embraces the now, as evidenced by the general lack of longevity in their music charts and countless flashes of brilliance which ride quickly into obscurity. In this way, H!P’s parent agency UFA could see the financial ditch being created by the very means which once meant more fruits from their labor and an ever-growing family of artists for fans to embrace. 2008 marked all these factors coming to a head, as UFA stretched itself much too thin. Thus, the year ended with the announcement of a mass graduation which will play out in late March 2009.

In a case for “talent versus the idol genre”, 2009 will prove to be a very revealing - or perhaps merely a very trying – time, as one just cannot imagine another recession, even in a smaller sense, to repeat itself in this sector of the entertainment industry. With ever dwindling sales, the new direction taken by UFA in 2009 proves to be most informative on the idol forefront. In a bright spot, the overwhelmingly popular ascension of Perfume (even though not technically an “idol” group) is surely an encouraging sign that the art of the girl group is well and alive and still capable of topping the charts.

Over the years, idols in general have ventured into taboo subjects, but nothing matched 2008: a much sexier image went mainstream, making no real distinction between youth or adulthood. Japan’s culture has long tolerated - or perhaps “embraced” is more appropriate - discussing when limits are pushed, especially regarding youth and sex. In this aspect, Japan is again unique in its paradoxes: youth are forbidden from commercial appearances after a certain hour of the evening but are easily subjected to suggestive or sexy appearances in publications and visual releases. That being said, surely 2009 will see a further push for sexier idol images which may be deemed unacceptable in most other cultures, as producers and management are enticed into keeping afloat (or just making waves) by keeping up with an overpopulated, still-growing landscape of idols.

Japan has always embraced an international influence in its musical tastes and much of today’s pop and idol releases have taken on an American flavor. 2008 was no exception as the “pure” sound of yesteryear’s “J-Pop” has now largely turned to outside tastes, emulating an aura of America’s culture which Japan surely favors in its continually evolving musical identity. The very term “J-Pop” represents something other than simply “Japanese Pop music”, as the somewhat lost art of J-Pop in its purest form has all but vanished when considering the music releases as a whole during the past year. But while major labels such as Avex continue to lead much of the charts with “Americanized” releases rooted in hip hop and R&B, other labels, such as Pony Canyon, reassert the rarely-used personality of true “J-Pop” to balance the scene, keeping an important aspect of Japan’s own musical identity alive and prosperous. Buono! served as a flagship group for true J-Pop in 2008, setting themselves apart not only from many of their H!P counterparts but also most of the chart-toppers of 2008 in general. Their success and acceptance hopefully will encourage a much needed shift to ensure that the genre of pure J-Pop won’t be driven beneath the shadows of Japan’s current trends.

2008 also saw the triumphant return to prominence of techno stylings, as the artists embracing this musical form garnered notable success on levels which haven’t been seen since Amuro Namie and MAX led the charge back in the mid 90’s. Artists and producers often go full circle, so witnessing such a successful re-emergence is surely a healthy and welcome sight.

What I find to be 2009’s most welcome possibility is the return to prominence of idol groups utilizing live bands, from the largest stadiums to the most intimate venues. Isolating UFA in particular, Matsuura Aya, Abe Natsumi, and now Buono! have enjoyed the dynamics which live band performers bring to any show. While live bands regularly toured with the idols of yesteryear, today they’re too seldom tapped to enhance live performances. The benefits are immeasurable as musical improvisation, on-stage interaction, and the possibility of fresh new arrangements bring a priceless aspect to what would otherwise be prerecorded tracks which fans have heard countless times on their own personal mp3 players and radios, now being blared through concert halls and venues. The restructuring that UFA has set before us brings a bittersweet hope that perhaps when the dust settles, H!P’s image may benefit with larger budgets which could bring back the old practice of touring with bands rather than prerecorded backing tracks.

Idols have long represented much more than personalities coupled with stage choreography and vocalizations, so a last hope for 2009 would be a much more involved participation of the idols in the music itself. While there hasn’t been an over abundance of music writers in the idol world, still most generations have enjoyed the presence of a prominent name or two through the years. Two examples in recent memory would be Tanimura Yumi and Moritaka Chisato, who both not only played instruments on their albums and singles but also composed lyrics and music as well. This final vision may be pushing the envelope a bit… but those are the legacies which persevere over time, giving idols a permanent place amongst the best in entertainment.