×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Answerman - Why Can't Idol Singers Have Lives Of Their Own?


Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DmonHiro





PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:24 pm Reply with quote
In my opinion, while the image of idols is fake, most of them know what they are getting themselves into. So yeah, if you are selling the image of a pure girlfriend, you'd better stay pure. Or at least don't get caught. You can't fault the obsessive otaku for deserting an idol with a sex life since what they were buying was the illusion in the first place. They know that, the idols know that and the companies damn sure know that.
Back to top
Paulo27



Joined: 22 Jan 2015
Posts: 400
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:31 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
In my opinion, while the image of idols is fake, most of them know what they are getting themselves into. So yeah, if you are selling the image of a pure girlfriend, you'd better stay pure. Or at least don't get caught. You can't fault the obsessive otaku for deserting an idol with a sex life since what they were buying was the illusion in the first place. They know that, the idols know that and the companies damn sure know that.
And this is something I don't get either. Why would you do this to yourself? Can't you just be a singer and not an idol or are you "forced" to be one in Japan?
I constantly ask myself "why" when I watch idol shows, why would this character want be someone who's just there to be someone's fake girlfriend.
"I always dreamt of being an idol", not "I always dreamt of being a singer", why? Granted, most idol shows are there for idol fans and that's that but I constantly wonder what type of human being would subject themselves to this and be happy about it.
That's mostly why most characters in these type of shows just feel really fake to me, but that's also probably because they have to be, for the type of people they want to appeal. Everyone is just trying too hard, crying, screaming, over what? This type of life? Nah, just can't really accept it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2434
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:40 pm Reply with quote
Stop me if I've used this JPEG before, but Wake Up, Girls! totally called it:
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CrimsonDX



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 171
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:42 pm Reply with quote
While I enjoy idols in anime/games etc, I can't stand actual Japanese idol culture. Ill stick to anime idols and Miku tyvm.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:43 pm Reply with quote
This is why I don't like the idol industry. Having your fantasy is fine but forcing them to not have a love life to support that illusion is not appropriate. Just because they signed up to be idols shouldn't mean they have to put up with their illusions. Someone needs to tell the obsessive idol otaku to get over themselves and that idols are people not objects for your fantasies.

That being said, they may have made the solution to the problem of idols being human beings that have needs themselves, namely with virtual idols like Hatsune Miku. Miku doesn't have those needs, and thus they are not infringed by fans' illusions. You could say a similar thing about other fictional idols like those from Love Live or Idolmaster, though the ills of the idol industry might be projected onto VAs. People already obsess over those things, so there is a market for them, though whether that can fully replace them is an open question
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:44 pm Reply with quote
I somewhat agree with DmonHiro. Idols know what they are getting into when they enter the industry. They know that their fans are their support base and the reason why they can succeed. And they know that their job is to sell the dream of purity and honesty to said fans, who will reward them with fame and money, and so on. So if an idol has a boyfriend on the side then that's betraying the very fans who made her famous, who loyally supported her all those years with such fervour.

On the other hand, perhaps fans should get real. They are allowing themselves to be tricked into thinking that these girls are special when they are actually human beings just like the rest of us. In fact, I always chuckle a bit whenever these poor deluded sods get angry that their idol has "cheated" on them. If you're going to be gullible and believe in such a stupid thing in the first place (such as teenage girls being pure and chaste - hah, what a laugh), then you kinda deserve all the angst you get when the illusion is shattered.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Seska1973



Joined: 31 May 2015
Posts: 150
Location: Germany
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:47 pm Reply with quote
In Short:

Japan Idols are like in USA and other Country these "Chippendale" dancer, they sell just an Illusion for the Female fans, just exchange the Male dancers with the female idols, and you have the same gist. The Idols (male and female) selling Illusions, and are contract forced to keep this Up , until they Burnout or step down
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2024
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:48 pm Reply with quote
So this applies less to male idols? I follow Joe Inoue on Facebook, and he doesn't behave like that at all. He's very open with his fans about, well, everything. He has lots of AMAs both on Facebook and in live chats. He's pretty cool, but nothing like these idols. He also seems legitimately passionate about his music. Maybe it's because he was born and raised in the US?

Last edited by PurpleWarrior13 on Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
DmonHiro





PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:49 pm Reply with quote
zrnzle500 wrote:
Someone needs to tell the obsessive idol otaku to get over themselves and that idols are people not objects for your fantasies.

You don't seem to get it. What they are selling IS the fantasy. Without the fantasy, most idols are just very poor singers. They are literally selling the fantasy that they they are this pure, perfect woman. That's the only worth of most idols: the fantasy that she could be with you. If you lose that image, nobody will want to buy your stuff.
Back to top
dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:52 pm Reply with quote
PurpleWarrior13 wrote:
So this applies less to male idols?


Yes. It isn't as bad for them, but they still have to deal with the fallout. Mamoru Miyano married and his (female) fans sent death threats to his wife, saying they were going to kill her and her unborn baby. Not cool.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
RHorsman



Joined: 13 Aug 2003
Posts: 151
Location: Loch Loman
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:55 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
contribute to the fantasy that they're a completely attainable salve for a lonely soul.

I know "salve" isn't a typo, but my very dim view of idol fans is making me read it as a typo.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Snakebit1995



Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Posts: 842
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:02 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
zrnzle500 wrote:
Someone needs to tell the obsessive idol otaku to get over themselves and that idols are people not objects for your fantasies.

You don't seem to get it. What they are selling IS the fantasy. Without the fantasy, most idols are just very poor singers. They are literally selling the fantasy that they they are this pure, perfect woman. That's the only worth of most idols: the fantasy that she could be with you. If you lose that image, nobody will want to buy your stuff.


I'm not trying to speak for another user but i think he get's that it's supposed to be a fantasy (Hopefully they get that since it was the point of this whole article.)

The point is that people take this "Fantasy" way to seriously. When you start stabbing photos and or burning all objects related to an idol because she kissed a dude you have a problem.

Form a Western Prospective it's easy for us to see how crazy and wacky Idol fans are, but to them it's normal. Hopefully someday they realize that they are being outlandish and stop, or they put their illogically high standards on "Fake" idols like Miku or anime girls.

again this whole problem comes back to the idea of the Fantasy, we have a problem with the fantasy of idols but we complain about how a fantasy story like One Piece or Fairy Tail has inhuman proportions and Nami or Lucy's breasts are too big, again its the fantasy so whats wrong with them looking like that?

The ideal Fantasy of the "Perfect/ideal" woman is a slippery slope. Here in America we always complain about how we airbrush or photoshop cover girls...so i guess we can't talk back because we're just as guilty of holding females to "Unrealistic" standard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JDude042



Joined: 29 Dec 2011
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:04 pm Reply with quote
The whole industry itself is just a bunch of garbage that a bunch of corporates in business suits use to make money by exploiting these so called "idols" and obsessive fans. The people who buy into this whole fantasy mumbo jumbo seriously need a reality check and probably have mental issues if they're so quick to change their tune just cause some average looking girl with moderate talent being marketed as an idol that they don't actually know on a personal level, shows even the slightest hint of humanity.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
phoenixalia



Joined: 20 Dec 2011
Posts: 1408
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:06 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, I'll stick to my anime boys and male anime idols, thanks. The real life thing is too much. I will never be able to understand it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
johnnysasaki



Joined: 01 Jun 2014
Posts: 922
PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:09 pm Reply with quote
The thing with Minami Kuribayashi is funny considering her most popular works are eroge...not only as a singer but also as a voice actress,namely Haruka Suzumiya from Rumbling Hearts/Muv Luv franchise
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next
Page 1 of 8

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group