Forum - View topicAnswerman - Why Can't Idol Singers Have Lives Of Their Own?
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omiya
 Posts: 1832 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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JE = Johnny & Associates aka Johnny's Entertainment? That's a very closed group. With the anison artists listed in my previous posting, one is looking at collaboration not just of artists but of entirely separately owned companies, at the least King Records, Lantis, Flying Dog, and 5pb Records. |
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poonk
 Posts: 1490 Location: In the Library with Philip |
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animefan1238
 Posts: 299 Location: Ma |
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I was going to quote that but you beat me to it. LoL. It's crazy how over there they build up this image of an idol as being a "perfect" human. The people who want to do this I think see how other idols have fans and that they are loved but don't understand how much pressure is put on them to be that idol, especially the big idols who are know nationally, and that one slip of any kind ruins that fame. I can see how devastating it is to them when it all crashes. It can't be good for their mental psyche. Hopefully when that does happen the get some kind of help from someone. |
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omiya
Posts: 1832 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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I'm only familiar with the anime-related acts, who are a community that crosses record company and management boundaries. One seiyuu who married in the past year is Yuuka Nanri - again all the comments that I saw about her getting married were positive. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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That was terrific! I enjoyed hearing the wide range of voices, especially among the women who are often pigeon-holed into a homogeneous "squeaky" category by some Western anime fans. Is "Return to One's Self" a counterpoint to idol culture? Is there an English translation? Those people who argue that idols know what they're getting themselves into seem to ignore the fact that we are talking about adolescents here. Some (most?) of them are presumably too young to sign contracts when they start out, so their parents must be involved in the decisions. They are the ones who should "know better," not their children. Inducting one's child into the pristinely managed world of idol-hood probably reassures some parents worried about how their kids, and particularly their daughters, are going to navigate the choppy waters of adolescence. I imagine that is a big part of the sales pitch by the talent scouts. |
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Hoppy800
 Posts: 3331 |
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That's irresponsible parenting on steroids, as a parent they should be able see through an very thin veiled illusion of innocence and what seems to be good management. They should be the parent not an agency that may have corporate tyrants for managers who may or may not hide the fact that they see their kids as walking, expendable profit machines ripe for exploitation. |
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omiya
Posts: 1832 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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There is an English translation at: https://atashi.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/animelo-summer-live-2009-rebridge-theme-song-rebridge-return-to-oneself/ |
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relyat08
 Posts: 4125 Location: Northern Virginia |
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I still find it amusing that many Japanese people seem to completely lost and perplexed as to why their birthrate is dropping like a rock, while the rest of the modern world is looking on wondering how the hell they even made it this far. This is a perfect example of why that is. It isn't just Idol culture, it's their culture as a whole. According to a couple friends of mine who taught English there for a few years, as well as one who now lives there indefinitely, it seems like women, in general, are seen as sluts if they have a boyfriend in High School. Or they are looked down upon for not having their priorities in order and not focusing solely on school. And once they move into the job force, they are likely to be fired, or at the very least, refused advancement in the company, if they get pregnant because it will take their undivided attention off of their job. One of the most significant things that drew me to anime, to be honest, is how closely my lifestyle mirrors Japanese culture in many ways, but their views on sexual purity is one part that really just disgusts me.
I enjoy idol anime, but that will never move beyond 2D. I love my little fictional moe characters. They aren't real. And that is where Idol culture should stay. Also, Minami Kuribayashi is Hott as F***. |
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omiya
Posts: 1832 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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Agreed, that happens in Japan but I also know of female Japanese singers who have kept their careers while raising a family: Of the female Japanese singers that I know of, Lia (Air, Angel Beats, Charlotte OP's) has two children, Kaori Hikita (Loveless and Tales of Symphonia ED's) has one child, and Miu Sakamoto (Ghost In The Shell: Innocence INS River of Crystals) is just about due to give birth. Their honesty with their fans gets them a lot of respect and support. |
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whiskeyii
 Posts: 2247 |
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Just curious, but are singers held to laxer standards than idols? |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5840 Location: Virginia, United States |
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The cadence of Japan bashing is ever strong here. And yes it is Japan bashing when you fail to acknowledge the American equivalents or deny that they even exist. Or perhaps they will say, "Well, they exist, but it is not as bad as the Japanese ones."
It's almost like you all, have never heard of the "casting couch". I thought Justin did an excellent job of explaining all this Idol stuff, but it is amazing that people can still say, "I don't understand, why they would do this." Like this is some foreign concept, that the west doesn't have. It is called "Fame". In the west, people do all sorts of crazy, illegal, and sometimes criminal actions for fame. It is not just an American concept. Kim Khardashian, who is she but just an Idol. An American version, but an idol nontheless. Just like Hollywood, some of these Japanese idols probably are getting not a fair deal out of it. But for some this is the last train leaving to where they want to go. Not everyone can be a talented singer, musician, artist, or an actor; and for some it could be said that they just don't want to put the work into becoming that way. This allows them to have that fame and possible opportunity for greater access to the entertainment industry. You are nothing without name recognition. You can be talented as hell, but first you need to be recognized by fans or by talent agents. It's a dog eat dog world. Plenty of talented people are never recognized. Yes it is a Faustian deal with onerous restrictions for your personal life, but for some this is the only way into the entertainment industry or for their 15 minutes of fame. As has been said, these girls who sign this deal are not being paid to be a singer, they are being paid to be a Japanese Idol. |
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JDude042
 Posts: 261 |
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Though not totally relevant to the topic, young men in Japanese society are pressured into getting full time business jobs, and you're pretty much pressured into putting your job at the company before yourself, ex: working 12 hours or more 5-6 days a week, on top of being pressured into attending mandatory business parties outside of actually being at work doing your job. If you don't, you're looked down upon and deemed expendable, since you're not giving yourself your best for the company. |
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CallumKeyblade
Posts: 536 |
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I think in recent years Twitter has definitely highlighted the problem of "surrogate boyfriends" in the west. Any time a member of One Direction gets a girlfriend, she will be bombarded with death threats. However it is different to the idol situation as the celebrity will usually get away with whatever they do, and the blame is given to the other person for "tainting" them. In the west boy bands seem to be seen as perfect and anyone who tries to say they aren't is viciously attacked. Perhaps boy bands are the closest thing we have to idols in terms of their fan bases?
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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As this article explains concerning Disney's marketing practices with their pop stars, yes... The female Disney pop stars have it even worse, according to an article that I mentioned one page earlier that explains that. |
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Eldritcho
 Posts: 260 |
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Well said, Mr. Oshawott. |
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