Anyone who is passionate about anime, manga and Japanese culture has probably heard of Idol: these are girls and boys who become famous in the entertainment world, dealing with various artistic activities such as singing, dancing, acting, dubbing and others. In recent years, the Love Live! School Idol Festival has managed, by himself, to increase the popularity of Idol in the West too: between cheerful songs, colorful video clips and many different girls, it was not difficult to capture the attention of those who, in entertainment products, are looking for something simple and relaxing . However, the world of Idols is much more layered and complex than how it is presented.
The phenomenon began to take hold mainly in the 80s, where many groups and solo Idol began to debut. In 2005, one of the biggest innovations took place, namely the introduction ofAkushukai, an event similar to a meet-and-greet local, in which, through the tickets obtainable with the purchase of the CDs, it is possible to shake hands and talk with the Idol for about 10 seconds per ticket, and it has since become a tradition; the event was born from AKB48, still today one of the groups of the most popular and influential female idols of Japanese pop culture, which currently has 98 members. This interaction with the fans is what made the difference, making the Idols easy to approach, compared to the usual actors or singers. From that year on, companies decided to exploit the success of these figures, making them much more important and popular, so much so that today it is difficult to consider them only as simple artists.
The figure of the idol is a real model to follow, embodies the dedication to work and to achieving one’s goals that serves to encourage young people, especially in a country with strong social pressure like Japan.. Their work is therefore anything but simple: exhausting workouts, strict diets, shows and interviews are just some of the activities they perform daily non-stop to maintain a perfect image of themselves. At the beginning, no Idol is found with money in their pockets from the very first debut: those who enter this world are often adolescents, and this allows managers and producers to take advantage of their naivety, often bypassing the rules they write in contracts so as to make them. overworking, extending workouts late into the night and offering little or no compensation. Some Idols have said that they have not received any money for a year or two, convinced that they would be paid by their managers only when the group became famous enough.
Private life
Probably the most talked about part of the Idol career is the one related to their private life, and how much this changes due to their work. Idols are not allowed to be seen in public while they smoke or drink, they are not allowed to have boyfriends and are often forced to change associates and cancel personal commitments even on free days; these strict rules have become the norm and a single mistake can cost you the loss of your career, fans or even friends.
In particular, it is among the male fans of girl bands that it becomes even more important to respect the “Dating Ban”, term used to refer to the rule created by the manufacturers that imposes a similar vow of chastity on Idol, preventing it from getting engaged, marrying and having sexual activity; Idols are a product to sell, and as such, a love affair would destroy the fictional bond that companies want to foster between Idol and fans, creating in the latter the idea of having control over the private life of girls and, above all, over their sexual life; as the managers themselves say, this is necessary to have the full support of the male audience.
There have been several episodes in which an Idol was fired for engaging in love affairs in secret, including Aya Hirano (voice actress and singer famous for the roles of Haruhi Suzumiya And Konata Izumi), who was having an affair with a member of his band, or Minami Minegishi, member of the AKB48, who publicly apologized to fans for being caught having a boyfriend, while also shaving her head in shame. When an Idol is in a romantic relationship, it loses a lot of its marketing value: this not only attracts the ire of their bosses, but also that of the most obsessed fans and it is not uncommon to find Idol victims of stalking or death threats. or who suffer sexual harassment by the managers themselves. In severe cases, stress, shame, or social pressure can become so overwhelming that Idol tragically take their own lives, even at a very young age.
Unfortunately, several idols find themselves living in a situation of constant danger due to the few security measures and the superficiality with which their complaint is treated.. Many blame the birth of the Akushukai, which created, in some fans, the idea of having a sense of intimacy with the Idols, and therefore being able to express themselves on their private life, a desire that companies have decided to exploit. regardless of the health of their employees. For the industry, Idols must be “pure”, perfect as angels, naive, sentimentally and sexually inexperienced, to make them objects of fan desire. Idol agencies have been repeatedly accused of encouraging the sexualization of boys and especially girls, including minors, by publishing photos in skimpy or semi-transparent clothes: in fact, some photo albums that include this type of photos are sold in the same section as the Megazine for adults even today, despite the fact that the circulation decreased considerably after the 2014 law, which prohibited the trade and possession of child pornography.The condition of male idols, on the other hand, is only partially different: having a female audience that tends to be less inclined to consume more “driven” media, their fantasies are fulfilled with clearly toned video clips or photographs Yaoi, in which boy band members are made to interact as romantic couples, holding hands or kissing; at the auditions, in some cases, the agencies ask if the children are in the future willing to act in homosexual attitudes, and possibly these figures are favored over others.
Narration in fictional products
In the field of 2D Idols the situation is partially different: the obsession with a fictional character is not a new thing, but the way in which readers and / or players of various works react to certain situations is not so different from reality. To give a trivial example, in an episode of the anime of THE iDOLM @ STER a brief interaction of the protagonist, Haruka Amami, with a male Idol was enough to make fans go wild, furious at the very thought that their favorite 2D Idol could have a possible relationship with a fictional character, complaining that the male characters do not they shouldn’t even be there. If this is the level of emotional attachment to a character who does not exist, it is easy to imagine what the consequences of these attitudes on a real person could be.
If modern anime are more reluctant to show the more “real” sides of Idol’s work, an excellent representation can be found in Perfect Blue, 1997 film directed by Satoshi Kon, a psychological thriller that tells of the career of Mima, a young Idol, whose life in the world of entertainment begins to degenerate to the point that she is no longer able to distinguish fiction from reality. A compulsory vision for anyone interested in learning more about the subject.
How does modern Japan react?
The Idol culture has been going on for many years now, during which the darker sides of this world have been exposed, with more and more scandals coming to the surface: one wonders if the Japanese have today changed their mind about the industry that revolves around the boys and girls they idolize and, above all, if they are still willing to support a work system that oppresses the individual freedoms of those who decide to be part of it .
Obviously, being a fan of this type of figure does not automatically mean being obsessed with their private life, and indeed, anyone who does, is ostracized and hated in the various fanbases, defined by the term otaku, which they use to recognize who is a simple fan of an Idol from who instead cultivates a true obsession; There is therefore a gap in the fans, between those who support the relationships and private life choices of the Idols and those who, on the other hand, think that these rules must be respected without asking questions. Most fans, when they buy a CD, poster or other gadget from their favorite band, do so with the sincere intent of supporting those who bring a little cheer with their songs into their daily life.
Fortunately, agencies are starting to emerge with the aim of giving a more peaceful lifestyle to Idols: Aya HiranoAs seen before, she was kicked out of the agency she worked for due to her relationship, but managed to find another one who instead decided to respect her private life choices. Some Idols, after retirement, decide to denounce their managers and agencies, and, although several causes remain in the vacuum, these events begin to open the eyes of other younger Idols, who therefore wonder how right or wrong the rules that follow.
Japanese society is still lagging behind on issues of this kind when compared with Western society, but changes seem to be slowly taking place: the culture of work is probably one of the many aspects that still need to improve, but if the current generation is already questioning the rules that have always remained unchanged, it cannot be excluded that, one day, the career of Idol may become a certainly more serene environment.