|
|
|
Japanese Idols
There is no Western counterpart to idols, although there are something similar in England and other European countries, but Japan holds the distinction of creating such a massive phenomenon that has proliferated into such a widespread cultural appeal. These idols are predominantly singers, but their singing leaves much to be desired. They are also actresses, but many are as wooden as an oak tree, but what they all have in common is the "kawaii" (cute) factor, and their pretty faces are plastered all over the mass media, to the delight of men, and boys. This idol phenomenon began during the early 70s, when a host of teenage girls (mostly 14 to 16 year olds) were groomed for stardom. One particular idol, Momoe Yamaguchi, became a huge superstar in Japan; when she decided to retire for marriage in the mid 70s (Japanese women married young in those days), there were no lack of potential idols to fill her shoes. During the yuppie years of the 80s, idols dominated the pop music scene, and this period of time was otherwise known as the Golden Age of Idols in Japan. In one year, as many as 40 to 50 new idols would appear on the music scene, and because many of them lacked talent, most disappeared pretty soon. A few idols made it through, one is Seiko Matsuda, who is still popular with fans, although she is now past the 30 year old mark. Usually these old idols would find new life in other Asian countries, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. Then came the 90s, when the music industry decided it had enough of the cutesy idol image, and soon became dominated by rock musicians and singers; other music genres also sprang up, following increased demand for more Western style music. The tastes of young Japanese people differed from those from the 80s, and although idols were still around, they had a more difficult job becoming famous than their predecessors. However, not all idols started out as singers, but plenty came from other industries. Take for example, Reiko Chiba, who became popular among the games playing public because of her usual presence on the Internet and in video games. Reiko had the ingenuity to set up her own website where she would chat to her fans, and reply to emails sent by fans. She established her own identity on the net without any help from the outside, but this was because her face was often seen in many products: She had done a lot of voice acting for video games, and appeared in television and photo shoots. Now, she allocates a few hours a night to spend with her adoring fans, setting up a webcam so that her fans could see her room (and her) in all its glory. Some other idols already had successful television or movie careers, and voice acting created a whole new generation of idols. One is Megumi Hayashibara, who began her career as a regular voice actress on numerous anime titles - she voiced the female Ranma. Her singing career as a result catapulted her into the stratosphere. Other idols became famous because of their singing ability (quite a rarity), and also because of the usual good-looks and cute factor. Although they are portrayed as idols, they are also a symbol of sexuality, and often seen as the ideal woman. Men worship them not only for their pretty faces, but also for the erotica of their persona. Idols like Ayumi Hamasaki, Noriko Sakai, Ryoko Hirosue, and Namie Amuro are viewed in this regard. The latter is currently the most popular idol in Japan today, although she is regarded as more sexy and mature than other idols. She began her career in 1992 as a vocalist for the pop group, Super Monkeys, but the group became a flop very soon. Producers liked Amuro, and in 1995, she went solo, enjoying massive success. One of her recent CDs, "Sweet 19 Blues", sold three million copies in advance sales along, and went on to become the best-selling album in the history of Japan, Amuro is idolised by both females and males, which is quite rare in Japan, as it is usually males who are infatuated with idols. Girls like to imitate Amuro, often dressing like her and having the same hairstyle. Amuro is heavily influenced by European and American dance music, and she has the ability to perform as a dancer as well as a singer, which goes to show why she has become Japan's biggest idol. But idols are still humans, with their own tastes and differing personalities. They also may not do what you want them to do. So what can a producer do in such a circumstance? Why, you go out and create a new kind of idol, one where you choose what she looks like, what she wears, what her statistics are, and you take control of her whole life. Welcome to the age of the cyber idol, or virtual idol. Japan's first cyber idol was Kyoko Date, an idol just like any other in Japan, except she isn't real, but that didn't stop them making out that she is, fabricating a history for her, and producing songs for her to sing. At the moment, cyber idols are limited in their media - as they can only survive in cyberspace, but it is a matter of time before they cross over into the mass market. VSL (Visual Science Lab) is working with other companies, music producers, ad agencies, television networks etc to see if it is possible to cross over into our real world. Before long, we'll see the first of the virtual celebrity embracing our screens, and reading about them in our newspapers and magazines, and the technology would allow us to interact with them. This kind of future looks near, but to me, what is the point? A fully flesh and bone idol would be ideally more attractive than one created out from pixels. After all, males fantasise about real idols all the time (and who wouldn't like to see their favourite idol wearing nothing but the most revealing of garments?), but how can you fantasise about something that is not real? It is true that with virtual idols, you can basically do what you want (get them in the nude, and in all sorts of positions), but honestly, there is no comparison between a real person and a computer generated person, however advance computer technology is. Nevertheless, the idol industry is going from strength
to strength, and the future looks rosy for the dozens of potential idols
who enter this most fickle of industries. It is interesting to see how
they all adapt to the increased competition of the virtual idol. |
|
|
