JPop Writing: The Idol Concept

I'm taking a class on Japanese Pop Culture where we are required to write responses to our weekly reading. I hope my late-night entries are insightful enough to post here as well. The book we are reading this week is Japan Pop! .

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I'd like to preface this by saying I have little experience with Japanese popular music. I am far more in-touch with American fan culture and its consumption of manga. What I have actually listened to is mostly JRock - Miyavi, Malice Mizer, Pierrot, etc - recommendations filtered through instant messages of American "otaku." Reading this book and searching YouTube broadened my spectrum of musical styles. Nevertheless, my Japanese roommate raised her eyebrow when she heard Enka.

A horrid musician myself, I have no right to comment on the techniques used to play these songs. However, the reading draws forth something deeper than the space between notes. I have always been intrigued by the concept of the “idol” and the role of the woman in Japanese society. The Enka article describes it well: a good woman is loyal in the face of adversity, timid in her heroism. However, the conventions behind these tearful anecdotes apply outside of sake bars. The expectations of a Japanese woman – no matter her status – differ greatly from those in the West. If an Asian woman enters a scandal, her career is likely over. In America, scandal can make a career out of nothing.

The James Stanlaw article, “Open You File, Open Your Mind” explains that, prior to the 1990s, the standard Japanese idol was selected at a young age and trained for her future position. A good idol combined innocence and sexiness – a concept summarized by the O-Nyanko Club song, “Don’t Take Off My Sailor Suit.” However, he claims the 90s trend of adding English lyrics allowed female singers to express feelings without the formality of Japanese. I disagree. Few Japanese singers, even today, understand English. English usage can be just as easily attributed to a ploy to make the song seem more modern.

Nevertheless, this is part of a more general hypothesis. Female idols from the 1990s began to break the barrier formed by societal assumptions, as evidenced by the careers of Princess Princess, YuMing, and Shonen Knife. I agree and would like to propose that the Internet and otaku culture has caused the idol-making process to evolve yet again. In class, we briefly mentioned that opening a popular anime can be an automatic stellar debut. Last year, Shoko Nakagawa sky-rocketed to fame when her song “Sorairo Days” became the theme for Gainax’s Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. She likes video games, draws her own manga, blogs regularly, and cosplays religiously. Her personality gathered a large fan base, and her site now has over one hundred million hits. This electronic connection she has with her fans allows her to be more than just a cute face.