I still don’t think that this paper really offers any social theory, now that I’ve been rereading and re-editing since I’ve been posting it. But what it does serve, I think, is a good view into the world of Idols and how they are marketed to the fans and how they manage to get so much from us fans. Anyway, here’s part three. And please, comments are always welcome.

I had gotten asked a question… Rather, there’s a question that’s in one of my top searches. The question is: “How did Takahashi Ai get the nickname Tettekete?”. I’m assuming that the people searching for that are new fans and haven’t seen that episode of Utaban. (Utaban is a TV show in Japan which is hosted by Takaaki-san (of tunnels) and Nakai-kun (of SMAP) and interviews various music artists.)

Back in the earlier part of the decade, Morning Musume (and Hello!Project (before the Kids (BK only once.)) by extension) used to be featured quite heavily on their program, when promoting their singles. On the episode that Takahashi had gotten her nickname, minimoni. was the guest promoting the first single they released after Takahashi had joined. And Taka-san had been asking her what she did before MM. If she had sang or something of the sort. But the whole time she was coming, Taka-san couldn’t help but take notice of her accent. He noticed… that her pattern of speech was veeeeryyyyyyyyyyy fast, with particular emphasis on the T and K sounds in her speech. He was stunned by this!! It had sounded like a Morse code machine to him. “Tetteketettete…”

And from then on, the nickname stuck… I guess. With how rare nowadays Morning Musume is on Utaban nowadays, I’m kind of surprised that Taka-san remembers it. But a new year and decade is upon us. Hopefully things improve. Popularity, marketability, and many other things. Another audition, with more than one member being added, who knows what the next year holds for us?

Still stuck in 2009 with 30 minutes to go~
明けましておめでとう～
~Murr <3

P.S. New Fans, learn your H!P history. It’s a valuable resource in knowing why they are the way they are today.

Was that a proper start? Did it get you interested? While writing this paper, I’m starting to realize a lot of things about the idol industry. And sometimes I realize that just knowing the surface of things makes me happier than knowing and researching the underbelly. I’m having a lot of fun writing this though, unexpectedly. さて、まいりましょう！

The idol industry is nearly impossible to compare to any other entertainment industry in the world. To try and compare them with the type of celebrity that exists in other parts of the world would be an impossible task. For example, let us look at the celebrity in America. In the United States, it is very difficult for a singer to jump from the music industry to the acting industry. It goes the opposite way also. There have been a very small amount of actors, if any at all, who have managed to become successful singers and/or musicians. In Japan, though, idols are often actors, spokespersons, models and musicians in addition to being singers.

For my class, Sociology of Culture, I was given the permission by my professor to write about Japanese society. Idols, more specifically. And because I feel like other people would be interested in my paper, I’m gonna post it here! Yay! It’s also, I figure, a good intro piece for someone who’s just getting into idols, or wants to know more about idols. Here we go!

The concept of worshipping celebrity is not foreign to those in western culture. Though people can express it in many different ways, it is interesting to see the ways that people choose to do so. For example in America, people watch Oprah’s talk show, buy and read her self-produced magazines, follow her advice in life situations and other various things that Oprah has participated in. In Japan, there is a special type of celebrity known as Idol (aidoru). And for many people in Japan, idol worship is not only a recreational activity, but a lifestyle. For a country that has borrowed so much from the West, the idol phenomenon is almost completely exclusive to Japan (though Korea has been going through an idol-like boom recently).  Because this is an exclusively Japanese experience, it is hard to come up with a concrete definition for what it means to be an idol. Even within Japan, the types of idols differ.

For example, male and female idols have many differences between them. Male idols are, more often than not, musicians, actors, dancers and are meant to portray the embodiment of the perfect man. Female idols, in comparison, do not hold much talent and have come to symbolize the perfect woman in Japanese society – worshipped simply because of their above average looks and near perfect personality. Within the female idols of Japan, there are several kinds, varying from AV gravure idols to U-15 (under age 15) to innocent school-girl idols. For the past 40 years, the idol market has managed to thrive. And this can all be attributed to the marketing techniques used by the talents’ management agencies.

Idols first appeared in the 1970’s, just as Japan’s economy was beginning to improve due to the industrialization of the country in its post-war era. At first, idols seemed to be these unattainable, untouchable figures to the normal Japanese person, truly living up the title given them, living rich and extravagant lives. It was in the 1980’s, however, that the idol lifestyle began to become something that was more possible and attainable to the normal Japanese person. Aoyagi stated that Japanese idols “provide their fans with the sense that they too could be stars if they tried hard enough”. And with the new population of paparazzi in Japan, idols further changed from being something that a normal fan could only worship from afar to someone that a fan could imagine as being sisters, brothers, potential lovers, and even children. The business of idols has become so advanced that it has crossed the oceans on all sides of Japan and has gained a large fanbase outside of Japan. The fact that several of these idol groups have performed outside of Japan is proof of this information.

to be continued…

小春ちゃん～卒業おめでとう！！ Not too long ago, around the time that Koharu’s graduation was announced, I had participated in a roundtable concerning what her future looked like and what this graduation might mean for モーニング娘。 and the rest of ハロー！プロジェクト。 You can read the roundtable, as I have provided a link, but I just wanted to repost my final remarks.

A year from now, I expect to see Koharu on Hexagon. Honestly. And if not Hexagon, then making the rounds on other variety shows and the covers of various fashion magazines like AnAn. Maybe even another voice acting role on another anime. I don’t know. I honestly don’t really care. She could fade from the public for all that I give two shits. But as a former member of my beloved Morning Musume, as long as she’s doing something that makes her happy in life, I’m set. That’s the most that I can ask for really.

And that still stands. So, again. Congratulations on your graduation from morningmusume。 Koharu-chan. Wishing you all the best.

バイバァイ～

～Murr, who’s currently waiting to see what this 八人 line-up can show us! 頑張って！元気出せよ！