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Post by Shadowcat on Mar 25, 2014 16:28:09 GMT
Lets get a few Idol examples in place first... (There are better examples, so feel free to list any you may/may not like)
What is your opinion on Japanese Idol's and the general Fandom? Do you think such acts could become more main-stream outside of japan? Do you feel that Idols are treated unfairly? (Example: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21299324Would you class Vocaloid as an Idol group? and is Vocaloid better then IRL Idols? Have you watched any Idol anime? Did you enjoy it? Any other comments?
Be aware, this thread is intended to share your opinions, please respect others opinions and remember to follow forum rules |
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Post by dapprman on Mar 25, 2014 22:56:17 GMT
Ah Babymetal, so wrong they are almost right (listen to their Chocolate song ...).
For me, with my western sense of morality, I find Japanese pop idols border slightly on the distasteful due to the age of many of them (remembering many are retired once they reach or leave high school - as should have happened to the lead singer of Babymetal). With most pop artists the world over there's a certain amount of sexual play towards the audience, primarily in outfits and movements. J-Pop is no different for this, though obviously tailored for local tastes (and so maybe not so obvious to many of us). The problem is that the age of consent in Japan is just 12 (as opposed to consent for gifts/money which has only been different (21) for about 5-10 years now) and so it's perfectly acceptable over there to play mid-school girls in the direction of not just school boys, but older students and salarymen as well (as otaku are not just teens).
It's all about local morals - it's just the same as the British/US tradition of boy bands for a big female audience. The difference being most the boy band members are late teens to early twenties, while their audience are in the mid to late teens. This compares to band members in the low to mid/high teens performing to a far more adult audience.
BTW on age, while I do understand some embers of AKB48 and Morning Musume do not 'graduate' until their early 20s, that is comparatively old. The lead singer of Babymetal should have retired when she finished high school at 18 as would have happened with the girl group it's a splinter from, she was only allowed to stay on as the group were following a different path (though the other two singers are just 14 and 16).
my 2p
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duoinchains
kami
Posts: 893 
Favorite Anime: 5cm/s, Garden of Words, Time of Eve, Girls und Panzer, Kids on t'Slope, Usagi Drop
Favorite Manga: Banana Fish, Bunny Drop, 5cm/s, Two of Hearts, Seven Days, Kurosagi CDS
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Post by duoinchains on Mar 26, 2014 10:55:45 GMT
For me, the music is always more important to the image. If I like the song, I'm more likely to watch a vid. If I don't, I won't. As for the idol thing, western (especially US) morals and standards would generally be disapproving of such overt sexually-toned imagery, given the ages of the idols. I can picture the Daily HEIL! headlines now... all the moreso given the general hysteria around paedophilia. As for making it mainstream here... unlikely. Foreign language music had always struggled to break out of it's niche following simply because of the language barrier, irrespective of the imagery/videos. If an English-language version was done... then possibly (Nena, t.A.T.u., etc., have all proved that it can be done) I am reminded (not least because I listened to the album again this morning) of the Ruskie faux-lesbians and recall the furore their first video kicked up at the time... mmmmmt.A.T.u. |
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Post by Random on Mar 26, 2014 20:36:21 GMT
To be honest I view the whole idol thing in much the same way as other unfathomable aspects of Japanese culture. I don't mind it but it isn't something I think too much about.
The main problem, as others have said, centres on junior idols. While to Japanese eyes and culture it may be fairly innocent, to Western viewers it's borderline, and I'm being generous here, sexualisation of minors. If they tried to create a similar culture in the UK the press and opportunistic politicians would be all over it. That said acts like Babymetal are far less offensive than the stuff you can freely view in music videos. Personally I find the child beauty contests in the USA far more dubious.
We have had pop stars in this country who were under 16 but it's the numbers and sheer production line mentality of Japanese idol culture that makes it stand out.
In summary I view it mostly as harmless fun but the pressure on the girls is a concern but I bet if you asked the majority of Japanese girls would love to be in an idol group.
Perfect Blue covers this subject very well.
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Post by MIBlackburn on Mar 26, 2014 20:50:48 GMT
Not a fan, the image and the people in the group seem to be more important than the music which is a big no no in my book. The music I've heard from these groups to be so generic and interchangeable, even the BABYMETAL video posted ticks all the Japanese metal cliches with only the added cute girl squeaks (for lack of a better word, I can't hear what they're saying with the horrible mixing) interspersed throughout provides something that can't be found on hundreds of songs in a few minutes on Youtube.
I honestly wonder how many of the fans are actually more interested in the people and rivalry between other bands than the music?* I only say this as I've seen this sort of thing on lots of different boards with the numerous K-pop groups after the Psy/Gangnam Style breakthrough bringing Korean pop music to the forefront where each lot of fans were slagging each other.
As for mainstream Western acceptance? Unless if they produce English language versions and they get a massive marketing push, not going to happen. Again, going back to K-pop, one group (Girls Generation) got onto the David Letterman show a couple of years ago with an English language version of a song and I doubt most people remember that (the only reason I got the name was because I googled "Kpop David Letterman".)
As for that head shaving thing, bit harsh being forced to do that because they have a partner.
*Not that this is unique to this, there has always been these rivalries between groups over here, again, mostly girl/boy groups but others like Blur/Oasis.
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