Since I wrote my small take on the Minegishi Minami scandal, this thing has blown up, big time. I’ve seen news about the scandal hit various publications worldwide, and all over the internet. I was browsing Reddit (even though I occasionally comment in the JPop section, this is a primarily non-idol experience of mine) and I saw people referring to pop stars shaving her head. It’s no wonder, I think; it’s hard not to be moved by Miichan looking into the camera, crying, with a shaved head. That being said, this new wave of interest has made me think of even more things about this scandal.
The one thing that really stood out to me in this English-language look is that, unless the source is one that already primarily looks into idols, that there is a general misinformation and general lack of knowledge of Japanese culture, Japanese idol culture, and AKB48 as a whole. This is a topic that I once actually considered covering on Idolminded; giving a scorecard of sorts and holding these ‘news’ sources accountable. Because a lot of articles are poorly researched and clearly just focus in on “oh, it’s weird/crazy/perverted Japan” when there’s fairly reasonable explanations for a lot of things.
One aspect that obviously got people interested is Miichan cutting off her hair. This is what gets people most appalled, and understandably so; it’s shocking and a very visible reminder of Miichan’s status in the scandal. However, there are a couple of things. One is that shaving ones head does already have a precedent in Japanese culture; I won’t go into too much detail, but it is a sign of remorse. For a bit more on this, you all should check out this article at Shoujiki Media which is just in general a really great take at this situation and looking at Japanese culture. I’m not saying I agree with this situation, because I am not for the dating rules by any means, but it’s important to view this situation in its proper cultural context, instead of taking it out of context and saying “look how disgusting AKB/idol culture is.” People also forget that the rule against dating isn ‘t just enforced within AKB, but idol groups in general; remember Kanou Kaede of Super Girls? Really, if we accept that Miichan cut her hair off by her own accord, the punishment of a demotion is lighter than being completely fired.
Another question that has also been understandably brought up is the question of if Minegishi really chose to do this herself; this has been debated a bit in Idolminded, and I see this being a really tough question. Ultimately, I do believe that this was Miichan’s choice that she made. While she has never been my oshimen, I’ve always had a bit of a fondness for Miichan, and this really strikes me (and my friends who are fans of hers) as something she would do; she likely feels responsible and guilty. That being said, if we think about management potentially influencing her decision, we want to ask why. The consensus is that it would make fans feel sorry for Miichan and increase her popularity, which could be true, but shaving her hair is a pretty big risk, one that I don’t know the 48 group would take. We’ve already seen idols in the face of scandal survive (Sasshi, Sayaka) and the public does feel sympathy without this. The move to kenkyuusei is shocking enough that I don’t personally believe management influenced Miichan. The word from both Miichan and management is that she chose it on her own, and everything else is speculation.
One kind of alarming thing I’ve seen on tumblr especially is a call to get the apology flagged and removed from Youtube because it allegedly shows abuse (this is assuming that Miichan wasn’t the one who chose this. While there has been a great deal of misinformation, the one thing I worry about in this case is the effect on Miichan. the video getting removed could be see as a symbolic rejection of her apology, when I’m sure at this point she made her point and just wants to move on.
I’ve also seen criticisms of AKB48 fans, and I have to say that in following this in both English and (slightly limited) Japanese, I’ve yet to see one person negative towards Miichan; the only thing that comes close is that, in regards to the dating rule, idols know what they’re getting into, and to an extent I’d agree with that. I’ve seen people referring to the fans as being very disappointed and outraged when an idol dates, and I’ve yet to see this. So I think that while dating rules have been pretty stable, idol fans themselves have become more lenient (though, this has been the case for a while; I remember Fujimoto Miki fans were very upset with the tabloids, not Miki, when her scandal broke).
If you’re thinking or even wondering if you should stop being an AKB fan because of this, or have seen people ask something like that, I refer you to one of my favorite blog articles of all time, How to be a Fan of Problematic Things. While this isn’t about idols at all, it’s a really good look at being a fan of something, even if you disagree with some things in it. So even if you find this whole thing problematic and distateful, you don’t have to quit AKB or even idols.
Ultimately, it’s the time to support Miichan above all else, and if you’re a fan of AKB try to gently stop the spread of misinformation.
I’m at the point where I’m sick of scandals. Yeah, they’re pretty interesting and add a lot of gossip to the idol world, but it’s at the point where it’s been ridiculous. My personal theory as to why so many scandals have been popping up in the recent months is just because AKB girls have had so many years on top that stress is at an all time high for many of the girls, which leads to them wanting either an easy out or some semblance of normality. That, and it pays the bills of the Shukan Bunshun staff.
If you follow AKB48 news at all, you’ve likely seen that Minegishi Minami was recently photographed after spending the night at a presumed boyfriend’s house, and has since been demoted to kenkyuusei and shaved her head.
From what I’ve seen, this has lead many people to wonder about the severity of this assumed punishment. Which is an interesting question, really. If at this point we’re assuming that the dating rule is here to stay, there are really a few things that could happen.
1. It gets brushed under the rug and no one pays attention to the scandal (i.e. pics of Oshima Yuko)
2. There is some punishment but the girl ultimately stays in the 48 family (i.e. Sashihara Rino, Minegishi Minami, Akimoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, etc.)
3. The girl has to leave the 48 family. (i.e. Masuda Yuka, HKT48 members).
There seem to be a lot of factors on why different punishments happen. The first is really the “severity,” or rather publicity. The NMB48 girls who were a part of scandal pretty much completely recovered, because there was zero photographic evidence, which wasn’t really the case with most of these other publicized scandals. They all got a bit of punishment, but have left it mostly unscathed.
Another big factor (possibly the biggest?) is the popularity of the girl. Losing a bunch of unknown HKT48 girls could be seen as not a big loss, in the grand scheme of things, to the 48 groups. Oshima Yuko, though, would be a huge blow to popularity of the group, being the current most popular member, so not acknowledging the photos with guys is a plus.
However, the one factor I don’t think gets enough credit, personally, is the personal choice of the girls. One of my slightly controversial opinions has been that Masuda Yuka left the group on her own volition, because she was already one foot out the door with AKB48 (she even skipped the Tokyo Dome concert to focus on her own solo work). With Miichan’s scandal, when I saw that her head was shaved it seemed almost clear that this was her own doing, as was possibly the video. Perhaps this is a big reason that punishments vary so much over the various girls.
At this point I wish that, if we still have to have a dating rule, that there would be consistency. However, considering all the variables, it seems near impossible.
In any case, I’m sad to see Miichan leave the incredible Team B for the kenkyuusei. Being one of the original AKB48 members, she’s a very valuable member to the makeup of the group. However, that being said, I can really see her bouncing back quickly and returning to her team in no time.
One of the things that I’ve found completely interesting with my idol fandom is how interested in music videos as a form I’ve become. As a fan of indie/alternative rock, I’ve honestly not paid much attention to it. If you asked me what my favorite non-idol/JPop PV was before I became an idol fan, I’m not sure I could tell you; probably Myriad Harbour by The New Pornographers (If you think idol PVs are weird, this might beat them out). Still, that’s really because music videos aren’t really used that much in the US. Sure they’re viewed on YouTube and people rush to see the newest Lady Gaga music vid, but it’s not as heavily monetized and people just don’t care quite as much, as a whole. However, at least for idols PVs are part of the package that gets sold (on singles/albums), and are considerably more important, especially since idols focus a lot more on image than bands do. 2012 had some excellent PVs, which I’m ranking here (I’ll talk about some of the stinkers later).
Honorable mentions:
Manatsu no Sounds Good – AKB48: I wanted to love this PV; the effects are great, it looks fantastic, and I like the tone. However, there was just too big of a disconnect between the dance shot and the main story. I don’t mind a tonal shift, or even that it didn’t make much sense, but I wish that it felt more cohesive; even editing some of the story among the dancing would have helped. The elements were there, but in my opinion it’s not as effective as it could have been.
UZA – AKB48: It looks incredible, but there wasn’t really enough to interest me in multiple viewings. It’s essentially a prettied up dance shot + close ups. And this isn’t a dig at it; it’s one of the best looking PVs of the year. But it’s not quite as ambitious as I would have liked. While I don’t need a story with my PVs, I do need something to keep my interest, and UZA didn’t have it.
Cha Cha Sing (flashmob version) – Berryz Koubou: It’s kind of sad when the best lit H!P PV of the year was done in a public area. This was a fun, interesting idea that I liked a lot, but can’t really justify to put on my top list.
Kimi wa Jitensha Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku (Maimi version) – C-ute: Similarly, I don’t feel I can really put a solo version of a PV on a list, and the normal one didn’t quite grab me. But I really liked the longer Maimi PV, where she’s basically dancing by herself after a breakup. It’s really sweet, and made me want more drama PVs from H!P.
12. Parade – Aso Natsuko
I know the “running on the street and people start following” PV was done by Mano Erina, and done very well there, but Parade did it earlier and IMO is a lot more fun. Nacchan is at her best here with a fun, well-made PV that spoofs karaoke videos and bad monster movies. There’s some visual effects, but they don’t get in the way of a really fun time. All the extras in the PV do great, and it really is Natsuko’s best PV of the year.
OK yes I’m going there. This is my controversial choice of the list, and I’m sticking by it. Lots of people thought this was a boring PV, and it might not be the most interesting PV by any means (which is why it’s so low on here). However, it is a very well-made PV that is just beautifully shot. I really love the juxtaposition of the black and white classroom and the colorful dance shot. The contrast in the black and white scenes is really lovely and the close up shots look fantastic. It might not be the most interesting PV of the year, but it’s one of the most well made and is just beautiful, which is why I personally thought it was fantastic.
10. 20112012 – Hyadain
Hyadain’s one of the most charismatic figures in modern JPop; while he’s made a name for himself in writing a lot of fantastic JPop music, often I find myself liking his solo stuff more. 20112012 was one of my favorite songs of the year, and the PV is very well served by Hyadain’s natural charisma. Hyadain’s a lot of fun here, and his energy is contagious. Aided by the dancer TAKAHIRO, Hyadain goes through a busy schedule, what I assume is very loosely based off of its own. It primarily takes place in a fictionalized apartment, and it’s just a lot of fun, mostly because of Hyadain’s charisma and energy. He’s just fun to watch (and Hyadain waking up is way more adorable than it should be). I especially like the various places he dances with TAKAHIRO, and the changes in rooms to the house. It’s creative and fun.
Mayuyu kicked off her solo career with a bang this year. While I didn’t rank any of her songs on my top songs list (they just didn’t impress me that much, and Mayuyu’s voice isn’t my favorite), her PVs have been excellent. The thing that I loved about Synchro Tokimeki is that it combines something of Mayuyu’s (her manga drawing) to be personal to her. Adding some great costumes and the whole standard “warrior saving a beautiful woman” storyline is pretty cute. It’s a very beautiful PV, as well, and I especially like the color balance in the storylines, with somewhat muted colors and gold in contrast to Mayuyu as an artist with bright colors everywhere. This is a really well-made PV and is a lot fun to watch, even though I don’t follow Mayuyu very muuch.
8. Hanikami Lollipop – SKE48
I love this PV so much; I think that using “France” as a backdrop is a great idea, the set’s beautiful, and I love the cute concept of Jurina having to help the people turn from black and white to color (very similar to the plot of the underrated film Pleasantville). I really also like the choice of making the colors kind of muted instead of bright; it has a very unique aesthetic. It’s not perfect (I have an issue with some of the editing in the PV), but purely on the aesthetic choices of the costumes, the colors and the sets, it was one of my most memorable PVs of 2012.
7. The Stardust Bowling – Team Syachihoko
OK, I have to admit that there’s a bit of a bias in putting Team Syachihoko on any list, since they’re currently my favorite idol group. However, that favoritism’s for a reason, and this is what kicked it off. This is Team Syachihoko’s debut PV, and while it’s clearly made for not a lot of money and is kind of a cheaper PV, it’s just fun. The most notable and memorable parts are the grown men in sunglasses in bowling pins. It’s weird, but really what did you expect from Stardust (Momoiro Clover Z’s company) idols? Some found this a bit creepy, and it kind of is, but I liked the “story” of the girls fighting off the bowling pins; any other idol group would have had the girls go bowling for the PV, but this is a step up. In addition it’s edited well (Kind of interesting that they only add in dancing near the end), and the girls themselves are energetic and incredibly fun to watch (my bias is towards Yuzuki, the one in purple, but seriously all these girls are great). It just made me want to follow Team Syachihoko and anticipate their releases, which is a great thing for a debut PV.
6. Show Fight! -AKB48 Future Girls
This is just a great looking PV. I really like the dark look they have going on and the muted colors. However, where this PV shines is just how the girls look. Whoever made this PV wasn’t afraid to make the girls look dirty, bloody and absolutely ruthless in beating each other up. This PV wins because it’s probably the grittiest idol PV I’ve seen. The triangle set is pretty interesting (allowing for good fights between three members at a time as well as an interesting dance shot set up). This simultaneously has some of the best lighting in a PV I’ve seen (which is an issue for a lot of groups) as well as being really daring as a PV. It’s a very interesting PV and one of my most watched ones of the year.
5. Headbanger!!! – BABYMETAL
2012 was the year Babymetal really came into their own. While Doki Doki Morning was all fine and good, Ii ne and Headbanger really set Babymetal apart with their sound, and it’s looking like 2013 is off to a great start with Ijime Dame Zettai. Headbanger was a really excellent PV, though. The black, white and red aesthetic, while perhaps stereotypical, looks really great in the dance/close ups. Seeing the transformation of Suzuka from school girl to metal singer due to the magical neck brace (yes, a thing that happens in this PV) is very entertaining, and the rapid pace editing (especially at the point when Suzuka first starts her headbanging) is excellent. I especially like the lighting choices in the dance shot bits. It’s not the most elaborate PV in the world, but all the elements really came together to make an excellent PV for Babymetal, and Babymetal’s best PV yet (though Ijime, Dame, Zettai has since been a better PV).
4. Hikaru Monotachi – Watanabe Mayu
I admit, the first time I saw this PV I didn’t really see what all the fuss was about. I think the song’s alright, but it’s not my type of song. And I really wasn’t into the opening bits with seeing Mayuyu on Youtube/NicoNico and just performing. However, once you’re past the first chorus, you get a really well done PV with Mayu as a cyborg. This is when the YouTube/NicoNico comes into play well, as you see the fan backlash at Mayu being “fake.” This is kind of brilliant in how it plays off Mayu’s existing cyborg persona (I can’t see another idol pulling this off like Mayu did). There’s cool parts when Mayu is animated, and other parts where you see real Mayuyu with pieces of her missing (an error with Mayu’s CG). It also pretty brilliantly uses pieces from Mayu’s past two solo PVs, and the combination of animation, CG and Mayu mix together extremely well and feel cohesive despite having these various elements.
3.Moretsu Uchu Kokyokyoku Dai 7 Gakusho “Mugen no Ai” – Momoiro Clover Z
Momoiro Clover Z really had a great release this year with their first one, and while I ranked DNA Kyoushikyoku over Mugen no Ai in my song rankings, one of the initial things that really blew me away was the Mugen no Ai PV. While I usually am not a fan of PVs that rely too heavily on green screened graphics, Momoiro Clover Z did it perfectly here. The space setting works perfectly, and I love the very stylized graphics when Momoiro Clover Z are on their bikes. The lighting feels a bit too strong, but they really make it work here. The costumes are also some of the best of the year, with clear thought made to the quality of the garments. Momoiro Clover Z is also one of the most energetic and exciting idol groups out there right now, so the girls themselves do a lot to make the PV really click. Like I mentioned, I’m not usually the biggest fan of too much computer graphics in my PVs, but this really did a great job of proving that you can have a green screen heavy PV while maintaining great quality.
2. Kataomoi Finally – SKE48
It hurts to put this so low, and I wish I could put this at number one. The top two PVs of the year were completely obvious to me in their excellence, and Kataomoi Finally really was on another level. All the elements really came together to create a fantastic PV. The story components are really fantastic, and are one of the few times that a lesbian relationship in a PV was really done in a tasteful and classy way, not trying to appeal to the male gaze. I honestly really admired SKE48’s willingness to do this PV, as it’s possibly more daring than any other 48 group PV (with the exception of Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou and Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru). The choreography, which I named my top choreography of 2012, really plays well into the the song, and really works well with the editing. Honestly, every single element, from the lighting to the editing to the cinematography really works and is done perfectly. SKE48 has been putting out a lot of quality stuff, but man it’ll be hard to beat Kataomoi Finally.
1. Gingham Check – AKB48
Like I said, there was definitely a struggle between Kataomoi Finally and Gingham Check. However, Gingham Check won just because of the fact I like it so much. I love the clever look at film genres and their trailers, looking at cop movies, horror movies and giant monster movies and exploring romance within those boundaries. It also helps that Joseph Kahn had a really good visual style within the whole thing, almost exaggerated within their respective genres (lens flares and shining lights in the cop movie, a muted color tone that feels straight from the 50s-60s in the monster movie, and a dark feel with the horror movie). Various shots are vary reminiscent of certain movies (Godzilla and the Ring come to mind), but in addition to all this it’s just a lot of fun, it’s edited well, filmed well, and is done incredibly well, which made it my favorite PV of 2012.
Well, whenever I go back and look at my top ten idols list, it always seems like things change a lot. I know things have since I started Happy Disco (my original list was all Hello!Project, wow). This list is always pretty difficult to make, because as an idol enthusiast I have a lot of favorites. Even if someone slipped down my list at all or is omitted, that only really means that I have another idol I like better, not that I like them less.
10. Tamura Meimi (S/Mileage)
S/Mileage’s second generation are four of my top five members in current Hello!Project. While I like Kanyon and Ayacho, if S/Mileage’s second generation formed an idol group on their own I think it would be one of my favorite idol groups ever. I think they all have a lot of strengths, are a lot of fun, and are super adorable. Picking one as my favorite is hard; however, it ends up as being Meimei. She’s just so energetic and excited, that Meimi was actually the one to open me up to Hello!Project after being a bit cynical regarding them for a while; Meimi felt and still feels fresh. I love her energy, her enthusiasm, and just how mischievous and fun she is. One of my favorite things was when she basically trolled everyone by setting up a blog entry sounding like she was graduating… only revealing she was graduating from using “-chan” to refer to her friends. Meimi not only loves her fans, she trolls them. She’s cute, energetic, fun to watch, and just a weirdo.
9. Ishida Ayumi – Morning Musume
For most of 2012 Meimei was my favorite in Hello!Project, so putting Ishida Ayumi over Meimi is a pretty big change. Ever since Morning Musume’s 10th generation has debuted, I’ve been fond of Ishida Ayumi, and she’s been my favorite Morning Musume member for a while. However, since I don’t really follow much of Morning Musume, it didn’t really click with Ayumi as a favorite member until recently, and even then it was a slow build. I first became really impressed with her when the dance shot to One Two Three came out, since Ayumi’s performing strength is in her dancing. Slowly I began to find out more about her personality, and found out that while she’s a sweet person she’s almost a closet wota/creeper of her fellow members. In one blog post in particular she took pictures of all of her fellow 10th generation members sleeping and posted them on her blog, saying how cute they all are. She’s a hard worker, a strong performer, and has a really sweet personality. She’s making me follow Morning Musume, which is what qualifies her as one of my top idols. Honestly, if I followed Morning Musume more closely than some of the other groups, Ayumi could move up my list because I like her that much.
8. Watanabe Miyuki (NMB48/AKB48)
Putting Milky this low is ridiculous for me. Honestly, this is a tough spot. Once you get past the two Hello!Project girls (who I really love, but aren’t my favorites), my top 8 is really where I have strong feelings. My top 3 48 girls shift around places a lot, so one day Milky might be my #1 girl in AKB and one day she might be my #3, like today. Normally, within AKB48, I tend to go for the lesser popular girls (though the one girl who just barely missed this list is Kashiwagi Yuki, AKA #3 in AKB48), but I’ve been a Milky fan since the early days of NMB48. I can wax poetic about how perfect I find Milky (and have, on my tumblr HERE) but basically she’s a natural idol who loves idols. She has tons of charisma, has been able to endure a scandal and come out on top, and ultimately really loves what she does and being an idol. She’s also really funny and strange (I adore the whole “chapu chapu’ movement), and is a fan of Ishikawa Rika, which does help. She’s one idol who’s a natural, and it’s definitely appealing Plus her photobook, Mirugami, was my favorite of 2012 and possibly one of my favorites ever
7. Oota Aika (HKT48)
Lovetan is a very adaptable member, which is probably her biggest strength. She went from being one of the cute younger members of Team B to being one of the middle-range Team A girls (as well as center of the Undergirls for a while). She started off young and as one of the cuter members of AKB48, but she’s been able to adapt to more mature things as she’s gotten older (look how cool she looks in that outfit from Show Fight!). And finally, she’s moved to HKT48, where she’s now the most experienced member. The thing I’ve always liked about Lovetan is just how natural she is, and how honest she really seems. Perhaps that’s her “tsundere” personality, but she doesn’t shy away from showing her emotions or expressing them. She’s a real sweetheart who I always love watching. I was really disappointed to see her huge drop in the AKB48 election (though not in her; she’s been doing great), so I’m hoping that she can shine in HKT48 through the future. I honestly think this is a good move, and I can’t wait to hear more from Lovetan! Seeing her growth as an idol from Team B to today has been a privilege, and I’m proud to be a Lovetan fan.
6. Natori Wakana (AKB48)
Wakanyan’s not an easy idol to have as my AKB48 oshimen. She only recently was promoted to Team B, and before that was a kenkyuusei that missed the whole Team 4 thing. Despite that, Wakanyan is really fantastic. I initially became a fan of hers because of her performance skills; she was Kashiwagi Yuki’s under and performed as Yukirin in kenkyuusei shows, which shows that AKB trusted her to do a lot. She was also the first person of her generation to perform the solo kenkyuusei song “Romance Kakurenbo,” and has proven herself both an excellent singer and an excellent performer. However, aside from this I just love her personality. She’s worked so hard since her debut as a kenkyuusei, and on the 11th generation special of Ariyoshi AKB Kyowakoku she won my heart by being brave enough to not only pick up one snake (in a test where they had to put snakes back in their containers, to “test bravery) that bit her, but going back again. She also seems to have a good personality whenever I see LODs or look at G+.
5. Mizuno Yui (BABYMETAL/Sakura Gakuin)
Look at that face and tell me she isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. In all seriousness, I love watching Yui’s enthusiasm when performing and in PVs, both in standard idol group Sakura Gakuin and heavy metal unit Babymetal. While I adore every member of Babymetal and I enjoy both Suzuka and Moa a lot as idols, something about Yui sticks out to me. Probably how happy she looks singing metal music. If anyone can have a huge grin on her face while performing metal, it’s Yui. But she has a level of happiness and enthusiasm that I just love in an idol, and has the cutest smile ever.
4. Aso Natsuko (soloist)
If you missed it, yes that is me and Nacchan at the Hyper Japan event this February in London. 🙂 (read my post about that HERE) Putting Nacchan this low really sucks, and I think is a real testament to how strongly I feel about other idols. However, seeing Aso Natsuko live was amazing; she has such crazy charisma and energy. It was an incredible experience I hope to experience again. She’s a real sweetheart and a great performer, and an all-around great idol. It takes a lot of charisma to be a successful solo artist, and Nacchan definitely qualifies.
3. Sasaki Ayaka (Momoiro Clover Z)
A~rin is in the “natural idol” category. Seriously, if there are any girls who are born idols, A~rin is one of them. Every time I see her performing, I can tell that she’s obviously loving what she does and that she’s having a great time with what she’s doing. I personally also love her performance; while she may not have the best voice or dancing, what she is good at hamming it up during her solos and giving a good performance. I also have a strong affection for cute idols and idols that have an “idol-like” personality (and she is referred to as MomoClo’s idol in her introduction). While all the MomoClo members are good in their own way and I’m fond of all of them (especially Reni, who’s really weird), I’d argue that A~rin’s the most fun and playful member. Not to say that she doesn’t take her job seriously, but she has just a fun personality that shines, on and off stage.
2. Ishikawa Rika (ex-Morning Musume/v-u-den)
She’s topped every single list I’ve ever had until now. This might be a surprise to you if you know me, and it surprised me when I realized it. However, I think this is mostly a result of not being very active any more (I’d tentatively still call Rika my all-time favorite, as this list is primarily current). Simply put, Rika is one of the most driven idols ever, a hard worker, a role model for younger members, and is one of the strongest performers (not vocally, but on pure strength of dance/performance skills). Rika, is in my opinion, the gold standard for idols everywhere; there’s a reason that two of the top idols in the 48 empire, Watanabe Miyuki and Kashiwagi Yuki are huge Rika fans. She has a great personality, great performances, and I’m proud to be a Rika fan, which has not wavered at all since I became a Rika fan. That being said, when deciding this I couldn’t ignore the sheer power of my #1…
1. Ooguro Yuzuki (Team Syachihoko)
Yuzuki is the first idol to surpass Rika since Rika became my favorite near the end of 2008/beginning of 2009. Which, as a big idol fan, says a good deal. I initially pegged Yuzuki as being my least favorite of Team Syachihoko, because she didn’t initially stand out to me in my initial viewing of The Stardust Bowling’s PV. However, despite this, when I first watched a live performance, I saw how strong Yuzuki really is. The thing about Yuzuki is that, even though she’s probably in the middle of the group in terms of skill, you can tell she’s clearly giving a huge effort every time she performs. She has a ton of enthusiasm, and every performance you can see how hard she works and how much she enjoys herself. She is a sweetheart, clearly loves being in Team Syachihoko, and is the most fun idol to watch right now.
Honorable mentions: Kashiwagi Yuki (AKB48), Iwasa Misaki (AKB48), Matsui Sakiko (AKB48), Miyawaki Sakura (HKT48), Yajima Maimi (C-ute), S/Mileage’s 2nd generation, all the other members of Team Syachihoko and Momoiro Clover Z, Kyao (MMJ),
Initially when working on this top list I intended for a top ten songs I loved from 2012. However, when writing down candidates I realized that that was far too small. The fact is, the past couple of years have been really really great for idol fans. Idols have been popular in Japan, which leads to more acts, more work being put on idol acts, and more money being put into idol acts. So instead of doing a top ten (which would end up shutting out groups and songs that quite frankly deserve notice) I’m doing a top 25 list with some honorable mentions. And even then I feel like I’m leaving off excellent candidates (my tentative list was originally around 50+ songs!), so if you see a favorite song not mentioned here I might have wanted to put it on here. It’s a good time to be an idol fan.
25. Avocado Janee~shi – Watanabe Mayu and Sashihara Rino
As a whole I found the 1830m album to be pretty underwhelming, and I am one of the few that actually really enjoyed Koko ni Ita Koto. However, I really enjoyed Avocado Janee~shi. One of the things that I really like as an idol fan (that will become very obvious further into this list) is that I like classic idol songs. While I like idol songs of today, if something is in any way retro or a callback to previous idols, I will eat it up. Avocado Janee~shi really reminds me in a weird way of Matsuura Aya songs in the peak of her Ayaya idolly days. Things like Momoiro Kataomoi, Ne~e and Yeah! Meccha Holiday. The song’s cute, but has a good upbeat pace to it, and some really fun guitar solos in there. While Watanabe and Sashihara aren’t known for being good vocalists, their voices sound really good here and play well off each other.
The lyrics are also really cute, with the person in the song comparing themselves to an avocado being among more appealing fruits. The whole song is pretty standard idol, but is really fun for if you want an idolly song, and as a big Ayaya fan this really appeals to me, and I know for a long while to come I’ll be singing “Avocado janee~shi, avocado dashi~” to myself.
24. A~rin wa Hankouki – Sasaki Ayaka
Has anyone ever had to justify “no, I’m not into this song because I’m biased, I really like it!” to others? This is how things work as a Momoiro Clover Z fan. Sasaki Ayaka is my oshimen of the group and one of my favorite idols, but out of all the Momoiro Clover Z solo songs Ayaka’s are always my favorite. Perhaps it’s because both of them are written by the wonderful Maeyamada Kenichi, who, spoiler alert, has a decent presence on this top list.
The reason that A~rin wa Hankouki works so much is because it feels very tailored to A~rin as an idol. Lots of idol solos can be generic and sung by everyone, but both A~rin wa Hankouki and the fantastic Datte A~rin Nanda Mon are songs that only really fit her. However, A~rin wa Hankouki is both high energy and mature sounding (a bit funny considering the lyrics are about A~rin wanting to rebel from her mother who tells her what she can and can’t do), and is a lot of fun. Some people might be put off by the long spoken/shouted monologues, but I really like them, as well as the rap done by none other than the songwriter himself, Maeyamada Kenichi. This is the type of song you’ll either love or hate, and I just happen to love it.
Ultimately, yeah I am biased towards A~rin and this song. However it’s a whole lot of fun and really is unique in how well it fits the singer.
23. Giri Giri Safe – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
OK, this is kind of cheating because I don’t REALLY consider Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to be an idol. However, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution was a really strong album and I really wish that I could put more of it on this list. One song I particularly liked was Giri Giri Safe. It’s one of the most mellow songs on the album that’s sugary sweet and energetic, but it’s really sweet and mellow sounding. In my opinion this song really shows the variety that Kyary is able to do in her songs. The instrumentation is fantastic in the whole album, but shines in Giri Giri Safe especially with the sweet flute/whistle sounding part behind Kyary at some parts in the verses.
While I enjoyed her other singles of the year, especially Tsukema Tsukeru and Candy Candy, this album song is really nice to listen to. It’s not as out there as Kyary has been done (which I do love) but it shows that Kyary isn’t just weirdness and flash, but that there’s a lot to enjoy in her musical releases. This is why Pamyu Pamyu Revolution is one of my most played albums of the year and why I love Giri Giri Safe.
22. Hatsukoi Butterfly – HKT48
Even though it’s a b-side of an AKB48 single, I’d wager that Hatsukoi Butterfly was more highly anticipated than the A-Side, Eien Pressure. This is because it’s the first original song recorded by HKT48 and it includes ex-AKB48 members Sashihara Rino and (one of my favorites ever) Oota Aika. The song and PV was really the first time we get to see what to make of HKT48, at least to get a sense of what their debut single might be like.
While Hatsukoi Butterfly is admittedly a very idol-y song and isn’t quite as out there as, say, NMB48’s song on the single “HA!,” it’s the type of song I really wanted from HKT48. HKT has had its host of difficulties since it was formed with the big scandal it faced and the group had to fit two older veteran members into the group. However, despite everything, this song is energetic, cute, and fun to listen to, which is very fitting for a younger group. Maybe I’m just overthinking this, but the song sounds downright triumphant at times (starting at 2nd generation member Tashima Meru’s solo), which fits.
Even if this might not be earthshattering groundbreaking music, this is idol pop as a genre at its best, and I love it!
21. Renai Higaitodoke – NMB48
Despite everything, I’d say NMB48 had a pretty good year. Yes, there were graduations galore, especially among lesser known members. However, NMB48 successfully navigated past the big scandals of 2011 and really shined as their own group, slowly having more girls enter the senbatsu election line-up (five instead of one!). They have also had their own image, continuing to impress with their strong dancing skills and slightly sexier image than AKB48. I honestly liked every A-side this year and a lot of the B-Sides, and I wish I could put more of these on there.
However, Renai Higaitodoke really stands out. One of the B-sides from NMB’s Kitagawa Kenji single, it’s sung by the group’s Akagumi, with the chorus primarily alternating between very short solos sung by the members. The result is slightly haunting and unlike most idol songs, reminding me of a faster paced Dokusenyoku (Morning Musume), which is a good thing. This is especially unusual in a 48 large group song, which tend to focus on large group parts with very few solos. This causes Renai Higaitodoke to really stand out among the other songs released by the 48 groups this year. The song also does a really good job in playing to the strengths of the girls in the song, with Yamada Nana’s lines standing out to me a lot. This was one of the most memorable songs of the year, and one I liked a lot.
As a film/media geek, I love the Oscars. I don’t necessarily agree with everything that goes on, and I think there’s a lot of politics that goes into what gets picked as the best of the year (though, I don’t care what any of you might say, The Artist was brilliant and deserved to win over The Descendants, though that did have fantastic performances). But I think predictions of this type of thing are fairly interesting.
Of course, the nomination would be for whoever composed the song, and not the performer. So the award wouldn’t be AKB’s. However, it got me wondering if there’s a chance that AKB48’s song “Sugar Rush” could be up for nomination, which would mean that there’s a chance AKB48 could perform at the Oscars.
First off, children’s/animated movies tend to do really REALLY well at this award. The last song awarded this was “Man or Muppet” from The Muppet Movie and the award before that was for “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3. Even in years that kid’s movies lost the award to something else they are usually very present in the category; in 2007 the movie Enchanted was nominated three times, though eventually losing to “Falling Slowly” from Once.
Secondly, there’s no major musical that could take as many nominations as Enchanted is doing this year. The forerunner for winning the whole category right now is a new song from the film adaptation of Les Miserables, but that’s only one song; the rest aren’t eligible. The biggest musicals of the year are arguably Rock of Ages and Pitch Perfect, both movies that rely on established songs.
So what else is going to be tough to beat other than Les Mis? Adele is doing the theme for the new James Bond movie Skyfall. Pixar’s movie Brave had a couple of original songs, and I bet one will get nominated. I’ve also seen that songs from the movie Lawless could have a shot as well. There are also some original English-language songs from Wreck-it Ralph that could trump AKB48’s offering. However, language isn’t necessarily a barrier; 2008 was the year of Slumdog Millionaire, and everyone loved Jai Ho, which was sung in three Indian languages. However, this may be the exception rather than the rule, as not many non-English songs get nominated.
So, ultimately I do think it is a long shot to see AKB48 performing at the Oscars. However, this year is probably the best year for it to happen, and you never know!
Sometimes life gets really busy, and things fall to the wayside. That’s kind of what I’m trying to fight happening with idols and me. I’m currently in the middle of the second to last semester at my university. I’m trying to graduate with honors in Film/Media studies, while working, while applying for the JET program (to teach abroad in Japan). I have a lot in my plate, so for the past month or so the most I ever really think about idols is listening to the music I already have on my iPod. So I’m trying to get caught up in what’s happened so far in the past couple of months and move forward.
AKB48 Gingham Check + UZA
I think the biggest thing I didn’t blog about on Happy Disco in the past couple of months is how much I utterly adore Gingham Check’s song, PV and overall single. It’s in contention for being one of my favorite releases of the year, with the main competition right now being Momoiro Clover Z and Nogizaka46’s Hashire Bicycle. But above Gingham Check as a song and the other songs on the single (I have a major weakness for Show Fight’s song and PV), the PV is basically a dream for me. I’m planning on doing a full review later to talk more about how utterly amazing that PV is, but it’s incredibly well done, as expected from a veteran of the film and music video industry.
I’m not quite as fond of the latest from AKB48, UZA, but that’s mostly because I prefer when idols focus on being cute and I don’t think the PV’s as clever as Gingham Check’s was. However, despite this, I think UZA is definitely a step up for AKB for their “cool” songs. It feels almost more like American pop than what I’d consider idol music; it’s the type of thing I’d show my friend who likes top 40 American pop music to see if I can get her to become an AKB48 fan.
S/mileage – Suki yo, Junjou Hankouki
This is one of those things where I get what S/Mileage was trying to do, but I’m just not gelling with it. I like the song, and I like the PV in theory, but it doesn’t really feel like S/Mileage to me. I much prefer things like Dot Bikini and Please Miniskirt Postwoman. I’d rather this song go to C-ute or something; it just doesn’t feel like the current S/Mileage (also, seeing Meimi and Kanana sad bums me out)
“Momokuro” Nippon Egao Hyakkei, and my feelings on Momoiro Clover Z
While, as I mentioned, I wasn’t completely thrilled with Momoiro Clover Z’s latest single “Otome Sensou,” I’ve hit a bit of a MomoClo lull. They’re still my favorite group, but I think with them the fact that they’ve impressed me SO MUCH in the past makes it a bit harder for me to be impressed much anymore. I also feel like they’ve lost a bit of what impressed me with Ikuze Kaitou Shoujo in particular, and I wish they’d do more songs that feel kind of heartfelt like “Hashire.” Momoiro Clover Z experiments a lot, and I’m grateful for that, but I think that I haven’t been as thrilled with their recent experiments, which is a bit of a shame. I’m pretty excited for their next single, though, and I hope they can regain my love for them, because they really are a great group.
However, Momoiro Clover Z released a single under a pseudonym “Momokuro” (not trying very hard, eh guys?) “Nippon Egao Hyakkei.” It’s pretty great. It is a LOT of fun, with some really fast talking and kimonos. In a weird way it feels like Momoiro Clover Z combining its current, wacky self with its roots of being a group with traditional costumes and themes (remember, Momoiro Punch, Mirai e Susume and Ikuze Kaitou Shoujo ALL featured kimonos!). This also was written by my favorite Japanese music composer, Hyadain (Maeyamada Kenichi) so that could be a big part of why I adore it.
This is one of my favorite performances of the year so far, Nippon Egao Hyakkei with traditional Japanese musicians!
Morning Musume’s Wakuteka Take a Chance
While I’m planning on another full article on this just because I think this release says a lot about where Morning Musume is right now, let me just say that while I really do enjoy the song a lot, I do think that Morning Musume needs to fight becoming complacent and doing the same thing over and over, because that’s what I’m seeing them doing. I think that they saw the big success of One Two Three and are trying to, for better or worse, replicate what got them such big sales, to the point where a lot of the issues I had with One Two Three’s PV are the same issues I’m having with Wakuteka’s PV (as one of my friends commented, it’s like UFA spent half their yearly PV budget on After Effects and they’re trying to get their money’s worth).
That being said, I do think it’s a good song and thatMorning Musume has made strides since some of their lows they’ve hit in the past years. Wakuteka’s good, and I think I do like the song better than I like One Two Three. I think ultimately they need to stop relying so heavily on Reina and Riho. Reina is probably going to leave MM in the next year or two, and you never know how long Riho is going to be in MM. It’ll be interesting to see how the newest member, Oda Sakura, does within the group and if UFA tries to push her to ace status right away. There are some really strong girls in Morning Musume right now (Ayumi’s still my favorite girl in the current group), and I think if they cautiously start trying to break from the style they’ve got going and from the Reina-Riho lead, they could do a lot of good for the group.
At the first day of the big AKB48 Tokyo Dome concert, it was announced that there was going to be another Team Shuffle. I’m not going to go through every change here (if you haven’t seen the list of the new teams, you can go ) But there are a lot of changes that I want to talk about.
First off, I can’t say I’m too surprised about the concept of the team shuffle. The various teams have been kind of stagnant lately, and each team hasn’t had a new stage in years. Occasionally a few members come and go, but the theater is kind of stagnant and I can see Aki-P not liking that feeling. Furthermore, I was pretty confident that with Maeda Atsuko leaving the group that there would be some big change. However, a lot of things happened in the group.
Team 4 Disbanded
A big thing of note of this change is that the teams are all much larger than 16 members (over 20, now!) and that there’s no more Team 4. It’s a shame, because I know there were definitely some big fans of the Team 4 girls and people liked the lineup. However, I’m not too surprised about this. Team 4 was originally a big promotion of kenkyuusei who didn’t have room in the teams as well as being a more theater-centric team. However, they performed quite a bit at he theater (since by and large the members weren’t the popular ones) and it was an unbalanced team in terms of popular members. Now the girls are on the main teams. All the teams are larger now to accommodate the fact that some girls won’t be at the theater show (because of a prior engagement). AKB’s been trying to make their popularity work with the theater, and I really think this is a pretty solid move.
Members shuffling around
When the 2009 shuffle happened, while there were some pretty big moves (Itano Tomomi to Team K, for example) for the most part the core members of each team stayed where they were and there was a lot of shuffling around for less popular girls. It was still a hard shuffle to wrap your head around, but at least the core bits of each group stayed where they were, at least in my opinion. This changes all of that. Watanabe Mayu’s switch to Team A is probably the biggest shocker for me (she’s been the Team B face for years!); I’ve seen the hypothesis that they’re going to push her as the new AKB48 ace, but we’ll see if that happens. Some of the moves around teams are pretty strange, so it’ll take a lot of getting used to. However, Team B is now basically the team with all my favorites (except one, who I’ll talk about in a minute): Natori Wakana, Watanabe Miyuki, Iwasa Misaki and Kashiwagi Yuki are all my top 48 girls (except one) so I’m really personally excited to see what happens with Team B.
New Captains
This shocked me more than most of the team moves. Now Takahashi Minami’s the overall “general manager” (assuming this means the overall AKB48 leader?) Shinoda Mariko’s the Team A captain, Oshima Yuko is the Team K captain and Umeda Ayaka is the Team B captain. While all of these are weird to me (not having Takamina as Team A captain will be a major switch, but at least she’s the overall group leader), Umeda Ayaka as Team B captain is the biggest shock. I know they wanted to move the leadership around and the other biggest member in Team B switched to Team A (Mayuyu), but Umechan has been a part of Team K since the beginning and has no experience with Team B. This to me really seems like they’re trying to emphasize how different these teams are going to be; I have a hard time imagining Umechan ON Team B, let alone as the captain. It makes me wonder if they’re trying for a new team image, but it still feels like they’re trying to have Team K have the cooler image and Team B have the cuter image (with the additions of Mitsumune Kaoru to K and members like Ichikawa Miori to team B). So we’ll see how this ends up.
Lovetan to HKT48
This hit really close to home with me, as I’ve been a huge fan of Lovetan’s for years, since she was on Team B (and I complained about her move to Team A being too big a deal). From what I’ve heard she requested the move, which really surprises me as she does have close friends in AKB48 (even though she is pretty close with Sasshi). I can only hope this is good for her career and it lets her stand out in HKT48 in a way she hasn’t been able to stand out in AKB48 for a while. The giant drop of Lovetan’s ranking shows that she really hasn’t been able to shine in AKB lately, which is a shame since she’s a great idol and a great girl. I’m really interested to see how things go in HKT48 for Lovetan but only time can tell of how this move will affect her.
Miyazawa Sae and Suzuki Mariya to SNH48, Takajo Aki and Nakagawa Haruka to JKT48
This is the biggest shocker to me, that Sae and Mariyannu are going to the Chinese group and Akicha and Harugon are going to the Indonesian group. While I have nothing against JKT48, it’s always felt a bit separate from the other 48 groups; sure you have Melody performing in an Undergirls PV and you have some occasional crossover, it felt like a cover group. I guess this is trying to cement that these groups are part of the 48 family? However, so many questions are coming because of this. What about work visas? Language barrier? It just feels weird, but to me it also feels like this is trying to emphasize that AKB48 is trying to go global, for better or worse.
As AKB48 fans know, the 2012 Senbatsu election is in full force! The first day results just came out, and while these aren’t the final results (things are going to shift big time, like they always do) it’s interesting to get an idea of what’s changed in AKB and what’s stayed the same.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
1. This is only the first day, and a small percentage of the votes. Things will (hopefully) change.
2. Maeda Atsuko is not going to be in the election.
3. The election is set up differently; slots 1-16 are senbatsu, slots 17-32 are Undergirls, 33-48 are Next Girls and 49-64 are future girls. There also isn’t a distinction between media senbatsu (the most popular members) and regular senbatsu.
Here are the results (from Melos no Michi HERE). They will be compared with last year’s final results, found at Janakya Mottanai HERE because there’ve been some interesting shifts.
Sashihara Rino: while Sasshi only gained five places, when it’s that high up into #4 that’s a HUGE rise, especially when that means she beat out former #3 Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna, and Itano Tomomi. This is perhaps due to the influence of having a pretty successful solo single, Sore demo Suki da yo (which could show how Mayu has ascended to #3) and the fact that Sasshi loves idols, too.
Matsui Jurina: Last year it was looking as if Matsui Rena was going to come out ahead as being by far the most popular girl in SKE48. While that might still be the case, these preliminary results are making it seem like Jurina is moving up there.
Yokoyama Yui: Yui is one of the girls that management has been pushing, but really has gained favor with the fans. When she was a kenkyuusei member she was super popular with fans and none of the pushing has felt really false. That and her involvement with the subgroup Not Yet, Yui is doing very well!
Umeda Ayaka: This girl has been jumping up the rankings since her first showing. Last year she was center of the Undergirls single Dakishimecha Ikenai, and now she’s in the more restrictive senbatsu! At this point she’s the second most popular member of the unit DiVA and it’s looking like she keeps gaining fans.
SKE48: Once you get past the main senbatsu, a great deal of the new or rising members are in SKE48. While SKE48 had been doing well around the time of last year’s election, the popularity of their various singles including Pareo wa Emerald and Kataomoi Finally seem to have made their mark. So many members of the three teams and kenkyuusei are new to the ranking. In my opinion this shows that while AKB’s the big group in Japan, it’s sister groups are still quite popular.
NMB48 (especially Watanabe Miyuki): five members ranked from NMB48, and while that’s nowhere near how many members ranked from SKE48, the jump Yamamoto Sayaka made from middle of the undergirls to 18 is a pretty big jump. Watanabe Miyuki is also the highest ranked member who’s new to the ranking at 19. Again, this shows that NMB48’s popularity is rising, and also that the scandal that Miyuki was a part in didn’t hurt her too much; she’s less than 300 votes behind Sayaka, which is pretty impressive. Miyuki’s one of my top five idols of all time, too, so I’m personally quite pleased. But I think it’s reasonable to expect that next year even more NMB48 members will be ranking.
Today’s losers:
Oota Aika, Miyazaki Miho, Oya Shizuka, Maeda Ami and Ichikawa Miori: These are six girls who ranked fairly well in last year’s election; they were all in Undergirls, granted, but all above rank #40. Now Myao’s at the top of these girls with rank #49, and Oota Aika had the biggest drop of the girls still ranking, sliding down 27 points. None of these girls have had any major backlash, at least none that I’m aware of, so it really seems like they are falling because the new members are pushing them out (on a personal note, Oota Aika’s my AKB48 oshimen, so I’m a bit saddened).
Komori Mika, Sato Sumire, Matsui Sakiko: these are three girls that ranked in the Undergirls last year and now are simply not on the list; this means they fell from being above rank #40 to now being below rank #64. Of note is the fact that all of these girls are in major AKB48 teams; Komorin and Suuchan in Team B and Sakippe in Team K.
So overall, this ranking shows the new popularity for SKE48 and NMB48 and their fans voting in the AKB48 election, which ends up shifting members from AKB48 teams down. This doesn’t necessarily mean that these girls are less popular than in previous years; it simply suggests that these new girls have a newfound popularity from last year.
Like I mentioned earlier, these are really just the first 10% of votes so things could shift around and some members could fall off the list. However, this is an interesting start, and I’ll be interested to see how it turns out in the end!
Hey guys!
So if you read my blog, you know I’m busy. Way too busy. And one thing I’ve been busy with is school. For the class I took this past semester, “Mass Media and Popular Culture,” we had to write a reflection paper based off of course readings. And as such, I chose to write about JPop idols. And so, I thought I’d share the paper with the internet/wotasphere.
Couple of things you need to know:
1. It’s in response to an article, “Women, Pop Music and Pornography” by Meredith Levande. It connects the female pop music industry to pornography, and essentially says that all female pop stars are sexually objectified and as such it’s an inherently bad thing. She also links these to pornography. I can’t show you the article, as I read it for class, but it focuses a lot more on Western pop music. So my paper was written from the “let’s show a different side” perspective.
2. Obviously the idol industry in Japan is really fascinating when thinking about it in terms of gender, and so nothing is cut and dry. I do think there are a LOT of really problematic issues with gender in the idol industry. However, since this was meant to be a short response paper, I sought to show a different side of the issue. The article by Levande is SO extreme that I wanted this to be almost a counter-balance to that.
And so, here’s my paper! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. If you disagree with any of my main points, keep what I wrote above in mind, but I welcome it.
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While American music is popular throughout the rest of the world, Japan also has a booming pop music scene. Most notably, girl groups have become extremely popular in the recent years, with popular group AKB48 leading the stride. Even though there is still some subordination involved with female acts in Japan, some of the most popular groups perform in ways to subvert the traditional Japanese image of femininity and female subjugation as a whole, in contrast to Meredith Levande’s theories of women in pop music.
In her article “Women, Pop Music, and Pornography,” Meredith Levande (2008) writes many bold statements in regards to women in pop music and how that in turn is using pornographic imagery. One of the most notable theories raised in this article is the idea that women in pop music are “under pressure to conform to the porn standard” (p. 307). According to Levande, women are ultimately forced to be hypersexualized and demeaned to sell well, which leads to the business of popular female artists being a business of sexism and women being portrayed in a sexist light. Furthermore, Levande is somewhat extreme in never bringing up any examples of sexuality actually being empowering, instead seeing any example of someone saying that they’re using sexuality as empowerment as compliance into the systematic sexism of popular culture.
Female artists have often been popular in Japan, but recently the popularity of female pop idols has been on the rise. While to a Western audience there might seem to be no difference between the terms ‘pop star’ and ‘pop idol,’ there is a sizable difference. Pop idols are young, usually female celebrities, working usually in their teens and early twenties, appearing in mass media. Though idols can be actresses, TV personalities or models, recently the pop idol has had a resurgence of popularity. Here, traditional male dominance does not occur in Levande’s description of sexuality or in the concept of the male gaze, but in a purer image, in which any sexuality lies hidden. As Brian Ashcraft (2010) describes in his book Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential, with many early idols “The thrill for male fans was in the power of suggestion and her coquettish schoolgirl image.” (p. 37). Sexuality existed, but hidden under a veneer of purity that corresponds with one of Levande’s point, that “There is an unnerving preoccupation with extremely young female pop stars who are simultaneously “innocent” and “slutty.’”(p. 308), though it was much more subtle here. Female idols in Japan have largely kept with this concept of the innocent idol, appealing to the male audience with this image. However, recent groups like the current idol powerhouse AKB48 and its sister group SDN48 have made waves in breaking from this, at least somewhat, allowing for more empowerment for Japanese pop idols.
AKB48 is undoubtedly the most popular idol group in Japan right now and the most popular one in years. In 2010, their singles “Beginner” and “Heavy Rotation” were the number one and number two best selling singles in Japan for the year, and their most recent single “Kaze wa Fuiteiru” sold over one million physical copies in one day (ORICON). As such, it would be expected that they follow the image that has made idols popular in the past. Traditionally, for example, idols haven’t been allowed to do adult activities such as smoking and even dating, in order to maintain this pure image. This is a practice that still continued with most girl groups today, though with more of a “don’t ask don’t tell” system, keeping any and all dating discrete in favor of keeping up that pure image. This is a practice that has been continued with AKB48 as well, though it is more lenient than groups of the past. However, despite this pressure to maintain the status quo of female innocence and subordination that has sold idol groups to fans in the past, many aspects of the group subvert these traditional ideals.
One important way that AKB48 subverts the ideals of innocence is the concept of the schoolgirl and the school uniform. As Katsuhiko Sano of the Tombow Uniform Museum explains, in the 1960s “uniforms came to represent the oppression of freedom” (Ashcraft, 2010, p.18). This isn’t the only case, and traditional school uniforms have come in and out of style depending on the time, but as Sano also mentions “Uniforms will always make the schoolgirl aware of what she is” (Ashcraft, 2010, p.24), thus emphasizing their cultural significance to the teenage schoolgirl, and to society. As mentioned earlier, the idol has a notable schoolgirl image, and AKB48 takes that further with wearing school uniforms as part of their costume. However, while wearing this image that can be seen as oppressive and conformity, the uniforms are rarely conforming. They wear instead interesting patterns, glitz, and glamour, taking this uniform and making it almost unrecognizable as being based off a uniform. AKB48 member Nito Moeno even said in an interview “The uniform I wear to school isn’t very flashy and somewhat dull, but he uniforms we get to wear on stage are very colorful. I feel much happier when I’m wearing one of them.” (Ashcraft, 2010, 48)
In AKB48’s music video to their single “Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru,” the group subverts the traditional ideal of Japanese femininity while simultaneously criticizing the male gaze and the objectification of women. First, most notably, the song and video are charged with sexuality and is theorized to be directly related to the concept of Enjo Kosai, which is a somewhat controversial subject to seriously relate to pop stars. Enjo Kosai is a term for women dating a man for money, a practice that doesn’t necessarily involve sex but can, and is such somewhat taboo. Having a girl group refer to this kind of a taboo issue is rare, something that continues in AKB48’s later single “Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou,” which is about teen suicide. The title of “Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru” is even referring to sexuality, literally meaning “My School Uniform is Getting in the Way” So while sexuality with idols is masked under a veil of innocence, here it’s fully on display, even referring to the mask these idols wore before.
Most notable in this is the full video. Throughout the video is a loosely linked story of Enjo Kosai, with dancing and close up shots of the idols on an entirely separate set. In the story sections of the music video, there are many uncomfortable scenes featuring what seems to be complete objectification of the idols without their knowledge or consent; shots of legs, of a backside, of lips, all without showing the face. In fact, throughout this part of the music video, any time there’s a face it’s pointed away from the camera, head usually down and eyes averted, as a clear sign of submission. However, after the shots of clear objectification there are clear medium shots of the idols staring at the camera. They aren’t singing with the song, or showing suggestive body parts, just looking at the camera. This is almost the opposite of objectification, and it forces the audience to acknowledge the humanity of the girl that had been previously objectified. The music video forces the audience to acknowledge their objectification. As Levande (2008) says, “the male pop star is physically absent from the video, but the male gaze isn’t. He is still ultimately the subject,” (p. 306), though here the male gaze and voyeurism presented is clearly shown as being negative.
Another girl group SDN48 uses sexuality and adult themes to directly subvert the idea of a traditional Japanese pop idol and thus uses sexuality as a form of female empowerment, a direct contrast to Levande’s statements. As mentioned before, the ideal Japanese pop star image is one of purity, or at the very least a surface of purity. Though notable artists in Japan have had sexuality as a major part of their act, such as the pop singer Koda Kumi, this hasn’t extended as far to the idol. However, SDN48 subverts a lot of this. First, the members of the group must be over the age of 20, thus past the age of schoolgirls. They are free from rules that govern other idols, such as dating (one member is married), and are free to talk about their dating (and thus sex) life at concerts and live events freely and without shame. Their music videos are even much sexier, with some almost nudity in “Ai, Chuseyo,” as well as posing nearly nude (covering themselves) in magazines. Levande (2008) asserts that “This is what I call compliance masked in defiance: taking your clothes off to be heard” (p.305); however, in this culture, it’s easier to be heard with clothes on, so these women chose to pose nearly nude for a reason, and simply the fact that such an idol group exists only goes to show how far these groups have come. They can now be fully adults and peers to their adult audiences, with less of the submission that comes with being a teenage pop idol.
Therefore, in a context separate from American culture, sexuality can sometimes be a tool for feminism and empowerment. Representations of male dominance and female submission are found in different ways, but different cultures can find different ways to subvert and thus eventually overcome the female suppression.
