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Pleasure Principled
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I was more shocked by the fact that men the same age as my own father went to concerts and screamed for tiny little Mai Hagiwara. That put horrible mental images of my dad in a too-tight bright pink t-shirt waving around a fan with Mai’s face on it.
Misa provides some thoughts as a fan who’s actually under the legal age.
The wota populace at large gets eerily somber when pre-pubescents are discussed, and for good reason: two of the main modes of appreciation suffer, and the stigma isn’t worth the Novelty. Is it, therefore, our responsibility as wota who are distressed by the influx of U12 idols to voice our opinion in an effort to preserve what little integrity the idol industry might have?
Vee carefully considers the moral dimensions of appreciating U15 idols, and reaches some interesting conclusions.
I think living in a Western society which has a huge responsibility to protect a child’s innocence has something to do with my resistance of liking junior idols. I see women pose in bikinis for men’s magazines at the bookshop but never will I see Irie Saaya or any other U15 idol on the cover of a men’s magazine because it just simply isn’t right. Imagine conservatives complaining about how they are exploiting the innocence of a young girl just because of her “assets”.
Second Blossoming examines his descent into the world of junior idols, and why he fought it every step of the way.
The 2005 en masse shuffle group and the super-publicizing of Koharu Kusumi as a new “ace” seemed, even from a fan’s perspective, to be dying grabs at something transformatory. It’s rather easy to switch the blame around, and say that Hello!Project began to decay and the humor suffered from it, rather than what I believe: that the humor faded from Hello!Project’s idols, and the group began to decay.
Vee considers how some Hello! Project youngsters usher in a return to the good old fashioned value of childish fun…
Much like the H!P girls, Perfume’s members don’t write lyrics or work on composition, simply sing what they are told and perform dance routines for PVs or concerts. But their singing is processed in such a way that any flaws can go unnoticed, and furthermore, they don’t often sing live at their concerts. So instead of reaching the level of authenticity that H!P has, in that their members will get on stage for a concert and perform every song live, both singing and dancing, Perfume just dances and lipsynchs.
pengie explores her longstanding ambivalence to pop idols and how she came to terms with enjoying what they do.
She is distant not only in space, but, as manifest to us in her screen and singing career, also in time. To pursue one’s suit, already hopeless, over the chasm of time, is the truest of all leaps of faith, and in direct proportion to its foolishness, so are its rewards great.
Quentin finds the deep underlying bonds between an American idol of yesteryear and the Japanese idols of today.
If you take “Taiyou no Namida” by NEWS, and “Naichau Kamo” by Morning Musume, the mood of each song is pretty similar, and so are the PV’s. They both have a dance shot, and they both have two different kind of close ups, and one shot from each PV involves getting wet somehow.
Misa considers how being a JE fan deepens her appreciation of H!P… and vice-versa.
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.
MorningBerryz looks at the significant shifts and persisting truths that defined the world of girl group idols this past year, and shares hopes for 2009.
He overemoted constantly, but without any intrinsic feel for the lyrics; the effect was like listening to a broken machine parroting human song. The words, intended for a young girl’s voice, seemed to warp and coarsen in the air. Towards the end he stood up and danced.
The conclusion of the story that began here.
It seemed as if the media were deliberately trying to ruin the idols’ careers. Or were the idols themselves trying to break out of the lifestyle somehow? Tatsuya couldn’t tell, but the news vaguely depressed him.
Part one of a two-part story.
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