Exploring international fans' perspectives on japanese idols = khám phá góc nhìn của người hâm mộ quốc tế về idol của nhật bản
INTRODUCTION
“Love Live!, is it?” That was the first question I asked my friend when she told me the anime that was worth watching She was a fan of this franchise at that time, while I was just an ordinary secondary school student searching for something to watch to kill my free time Around
2014, spending time staying up late during the cold winter, I finished the Love Live! School idol project series in just a few nights My favorite group of the franchise was à's 1 At that time, on the application store on my tablet, there was a game called Love Live! School idol festival (スク
フェス) 2 , which was released in 2014 with its global version I soon got addicted to the game as it was just one of the only appealing anime-themed games back then, and also because I had just recently finished the anime of the franchise The game was a huge viral hit all over the world Some of my high school club members also tried the game at school, and they shared the same exciting experience Back then, I considered myself a massive fan of Love Live! However, for some time after that, the complicated, busy life as a senior in high school forced me to focus more on other responsibilities and put aside my passion for Love Live!
In early 2020, my family went on a holiday to Singapore, and it was when I had the chance to buy my first figurine from the series In the same year, a new mobile phone game called Love Live! School idol festival ALL STARS 3 was released on 25 th February Immediately, the figurine I bought, the new game, made me feel the old passion and got me deep again into the
2 Love Live! School Idol Festival (often abbreviated as LLSIF or Sukufesu) is a Japanese rhythm game series developed by KLab and published by Bushiroad's Bushimo for Android and iOS platforms Source: Love Live! School Idol Festival
3 Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS is a rhythm action game developed for mobile platforms, based on the Love Live! and related franchises Source: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS | Love Live! Wiki | Fandom
8 franchise in general and the game in specific And now, I still consider myself a hardcore fan when I was able to obtain new merchandise using the money I earned
I have been an admin of a Facebook fan page called Love Live! for about seven years At first, it was a small page to support Aqours 4 - the franchise’s 2 nd generation group, but then later the page changed its direction to support the whole franchise The page attracted a large number of supporters as there were not many Love Live! fan pages back then Now it has reached around 76,000 likes I would call that minor success and a blessing to be a part of it I want to send my most tremendous gratitude to the fellow administrators of the page – both active and former ones
I know that Love Live! is an essential part of my life, and I know I am not the only one There must be people who are the same as me, deeply in love with their idols “What would other people think of Love Live!? Not just Love Live!, but other Japanese idols as well?”, I wondered Scrolling through Facebook 5 , there are some active groups related to Japanese idols
On Reddit, there are also many active subreddit 6 These international communities are active, but they have rarely been explored clearly “Do they have the same feelings and thoughts for their idols like me? How come the language barrier cannot stop them from being huge fans?”, I questioned myself Idols are very popular in Japan, ranging from female groups such as AKB48 and Nogizaka46 to male groups like SMAP and Generations from Exile Tribe As idols have great popularity in the domestic market, their domestic fanbases are enormous They have strong sentiment and emotional attachment to their idols, always ready to spend to support their favorite idols These admirers are called idol otaku Aoyagi (2005) stated that idol otaku are willing to
5 Facebook: Facebook is an American online social media and social networking service owned by Meta Platforms Source: Facebook - Wikipedia
6 Subreddit: A subreddit is a specific online community, and the posts associated with it, on the social media website Reddit Subreddits are dedicated to a particular topic that people write about, and they’re denoted by /r/, followed by the subreddit’s name, e.g., /r/gaming Source: © 2022 Dictionary.com, LLC
9 spend large sums of money to have a collection of idol-related items, appear at concerts, and join voluntary support groups Idol otaku bring their glow sticks and perform a dance called wota-gei However, people from different parts of the world have different thoughts about idols outside of Japan Jónsdóttir (2013) stated that despite the language barrier, being non-Japanese, international fans even have the same feelings or influences as these idol otaku I want to know more about them, their minds, and their thoughts when talking about their idols That is the leading cause that directs me to conduct this research Through international communities, this paper hopes to explore the fans’ attitudes, reasons, feelings, and emotions towards their idols to learn more about the international fans’ perspectives on Japanese idols and the long-lasting attachment to their idols, not only a word of “like” or “love”
This research aims to explore how international fans think of, feel about, and react to their favorite Japanese idols Moreover, new insights into the minds of international fans will be provided, in order to shed light on the international fans’ communities to help them being understood more by others The current study, at the same time, seeks to determine why international fans decide to stick to their idols through their stories
Firstly, the analysis presented in this study will produce valuable information for future studies in the same research field Secondly, by reading the reasons given by international fans, first- time readers, people who do not have much knowledge of the field, or someone who wishes to know more, even if they are a fan or not, may have a broader view and a deeper understanding of both Japanese idols and international fans
The present study contains two research questions
1/ What are Japanese idols viewed under the lens of international fans?
2/ What are the factors that enable international fans to adhere to their idols?
The answers to these questions will be given in Chapter 4 of the research
I came up with two research questions One was about how Japanese idols are viewed under the lens of international fans Another was about the factors that enable international fans to adhere to their idols For the first one, the following hypotheses can be proposed:
International fans think that Japanese idols are people who perform on stage with cute songs For the second one, the following hypotheses can be proposed:
The factors that enable international fans to adhere to their idols are the music and the bond
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Islands of eight-million smiles: pop-idol performances and the field of symbolic production
Aoyagi Hiroshi (1999) writes a paper which focuses on the creation and improvement of a huge phenomenon in Japan, which is called “idols” It was conducted within 18-months within the Japanese entertainment industry The author uses observation, conservation, participation, and some other research methods to conduct the research The dissertation comes with 8 chapters, with the main results telling the making of adolescent role-models, idol performances and gender identities, life stories and stage performances, the field of competing styles, the spread of pop- idol performances in Asia Through the assessment of female pop-idols, how the idol industry in Japan attracts young people, and turns them into people who have marketable characteristics, their own identity is deeply explained Moreover, how the performances made by idols are different from other styles, social, cultural, political, economic, historical issues, and the outcomes of pop-symbols’ notoriety are unfolded
Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture
This is an edited book by Patrick W Galbraith and Jason G Karlin (2012) relating to many different essays on idols and celebrities in Japan It gives an in-depth understanding of media culture, idols and celebrities in Japan, and mentions the social, cultural, economic problems connected to Japanese media culture The book has 4 parts: systems, desire, difference, and image It begins with telling the jimusho systems in which these Japanese idols take a part in, then with how the media works when an idol is stuck in a scandal The book uses Arashi as an example for many cases The smaller chapters within each part reveal the issues of Japanese society, the culture, and the economy of Japan This is a useful book for anyone wanting to know about the idol culture of Japan and how it works
ザ・アイドル！(The Aidoru!) - The Ardent Fans’ Perspective
Júna Bjửrk Júnsdúttir (2013)’s research pointed out some remarkable characteristics of idol culture and foreign fans' understanding of Japanese idols through surveys The author conducted the surveys on the website surveymonkey.com There were two surveys, one was for
Arashi/Johnny's fans, and the other was for AKB48/Hello!Project fans The survey results were mainly Arashi/Johnny's fans only There were over 100 results All of them were mentioned as young adults The survey included questions about how their favorite idols influenced their lifestyle, the reasons for their popularity, and whether they held any cultural values or not The responses varied from the answers telling idols are the inspiration, people who have the looks, to the point that one respondent even mentioned many idols are fake One respondent said that an idol was someone who made you happier and inspired you Besides, some people answered that the difference between the Western and the Eastern artists was an attractive point Although Japanese music is influenced by the West, it still has its quality
Furthermore, some people replied that idols are people who allow others to dream Some fans think that idols have no cultural value, but there are people who think otherwise They claimed that idols promote their country's image, make others want to learn Japanese, and inspire them to strive for their own goals Some fans thought idols help them “escape from reality”, ignoring the chaos of life When asked why they are fans of the group Arashi, they said that one of the main reasons is that Arashi's image is so actual: the personality looks natural, there is a connection between the members, and they create motivation for fans to achieve dreams Arashi also makes mistakes, laughs about them, and shows everyone that they are just like ordinary people
Someone answered that Arashi was the reason she still exists today Other reasons are that they see Arashi as a friend, motivation, emotional and mental support, or simply happy to see their
13 favorite group Many people among Arashi's fan community were “Jun-bait” - becoming part of the community thanks to Jun Matsumoto through the movies and dramas he plays in Many fans fell in love with Arashi after watching their shows or listening to their music Appreciation and a sense of genuineness are what attract people to become fans Some fans think that the group they like doesn't affect their lifestyle, but some admitted that the group they love helps them love Japanese culture and language Most respondents said that the group had more positive effects, such as enjoying life and becoming more confident and open-minded Some people hadn't bought anything yet In contrast, there were some who spent a lot of money on merchandise to support their idols, despite the price This study was done in 2013, and the results were only relevant to Arashi's fanbase
The first two literature mentioned above have studied much of the Japanese idol culture They tell how it progresses, how it works However, they didn’t mention anything about international fans, who seem to play a part which is as important as domestic fans The third literature was conducted a long time ago, and only relevant to one fanbase In order to get a deeper understanding of international fans, I decided to borrow, adjust part of the survey questions, and add some new questions to conduct on a larger scale for more objective and new answers that were not included or found in this previously worked research
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Due to the reason that the Covid-19 pandemic made things difficult, face-to-face research methods could not be appropriately applied In addition, I had to get familiar with online social platforms and use research methods that were appropriate for my situation Below are the research methods which were used in this study
Ethnography is a research strategy that allows researchers to explore and examine the cultures and societies that are a fundamental part of the human experience (Murchison, 2010)
Ethnography is a method that can be used to “explore and examine” (Murchison, 2010) the international communities related to idols Using this method, I was able to “collect data and gain insight through first-hand involvement” with participants in those idol communities
“Interacting with” participants is a part of the method to effectively connect to them personally and be there with them therefore we may share “ritual and emotional experiences” With numerous “research techniques” (Murchison, 2010, p.4), I hope to understand them from different perspectives Moreover, “participant-observation” is an essential practice that was included, as it helped me gather data from what I saw From my point of view, as an outsider in the community, I was able to preserve the role of a “detached observer” (Murchison, 2010, p.85) who stands in a position that cannot be affected by the contents of the community In this way, I can conclude from a more comprehensive view I ensure myself doing both the role of participation and observation to provide data that is as objective as possible The results I got by
“combining multiple perspectives” are helpful because they produce “key variables and
15 parameters for human behavior” (p.12) Therefore, the minds and thoughts of international fans in the communities are further understood
Autoethnography is a type of text written from the perspective of a person re-telling their stories in the past (Vone`che, 2001) Adams et al (2017) mentioned that autoethnography requires being in the middle between autobiography and ethnography Besides using my story “to give readers a sense of how being there in the experience feels” (p.3), I also “observe, participate in, and write about a culture experience” (p.3) regarding being an international fan, to enable readers to understand through the writer’s perspective Being a fan myself, I may “inform readers about aspects of cultural life that other researchers may not be able to know” (p.3) Through this study,
I hope that with the use of personal narratives and considering myself as a research subject with such accessible data, which is my personal experience, I have high hopes that I can discover the thoughts and minds of international fans Ellis & Bochner (2016) defines this method as a way to write and research that shows different layers of consciousness, connecting the personal to the cultural, and autoethnography is usually written in various forms
Narrative inquiry is a method in which stories are collected as a means of understanding experience as lived and told (Savin-Baden & Niekerk, 2007, p.459) Using the method made it easier to get in-depth data when two people are in the middle of a casual conversation about their favorite hobbies (Savin-Baden & Niekerk, 2007, p.466) Narrative inquiry enables participants to feel comfortable within the chat In addition, I will take responsibility for narrating their stories based on what I - the researcher and the interviewees - the subjects talked about (p.464) With
16 this method, I can start myself either as a long-time fan or a stranger with some ground knowledge of Japanese idols By mentioning my experience, and knowledge, I can easily approach, talk to, interview international fans and, at the same time, understand their stories through the eyes of a fellow fan Thereby, their stories, their past, their reasons, their thoughts, and their feelings will be readily understood in an attempt to know what has created the interest for Japanese idols within international communities Narrative inquiry is “a challenging and useful method” (p.471) in which I can be “co-inquirers and co-collaborators” (p.471) in this study about the perspectives of international fans on Japanese idols
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which made it extremely difficult to meet participants in person,
I opted for popular social platforms to do my research These include Facebook groups, subreddit on Reddit, and Discord The international fan communities on these platforms are active and undoubtedly have deep knowledge of their idols These are necessary research zones because the focus of the study concentrates on international fans' viewpoints
The main criteria for interviewees are those from the international communities who are still active The research subjects are classified according to a wide age range, from 10 to more than
40 years old, regardless of skin color or gender, because this has nothing to do with what international fans think about Japanese idols Like me, international fans are interested in and clearly understand the idol they are following In this study, whether longtime fans or new fans, they will all be counted For each group, I shall have a few samples to interview Depending on each group, the sample size will also be different to fill the gap in the final result The sample size for Arashi and Hatsune Miku were 3, Babymetal and Love Live! franchise were 2 The sample size above will still be sufficient when applying narrative thematic analysis to
17 interviewing international fans I didn’t have time to do a full, complete interview on some of them due to many reasons: We were in different time zones and schedules, the internet connection wasn’t stable, either one of us was busy, and so on
Idol/Group Number of interviewees Names/nickname
Table 1 The statistics of participants and interviewees
I posted the surveys of Babymetal, Hatsune Miku, Love Live! and the Idolmaster on subreddit communities A Reddit user said that this platform is open-source, and I could do my research here The survey on Arashi is the only one I posted on Facebook and Discord because Arashi's Reddit community is not as active as these two platforms The surveys began in January and ended at the end of March For Arashi, there were 187 respondents, Babymetal with 167,
Hatsune Miku with 50, Love Live! franchise with 113 The survey of the Idolmaster had only 25 respondents This result is relatively low compared to others As I think the Idolmaster survey results will not serve as a good outcome, the Idolmaster's relevant results in this study will not be mentioned Still, I will publish the results gathered in the Idolmaster community I surveyed to ensure transparency
During the interview, I asked for consent to use the names given by the interviewees
In this section, I will use data collection methods that are suitable for the situation of this research in the meantime
This is a method where I will have a conversation consisting of questions and answers from me and the participants I interviewed them through the online messaging platform Discord In these interviews, I plan to use a set of questions in the interview However, there will also be external questions based on the interviewees' responses With questions that “stray” (Kabir, 2016) from the ones I already planned, I may be able to study and see better viewpoints By using semi- structured interviews, I am allowed to understand from different perspectives and deeply approach the minds of international fans, which will help expand and enrich my knowledge
Moreover, it is a valuable opportunity for me to improve my understanding of Japanese idols and international fans and test my knowledge of the position of a fan The answers were later transferred into a sheet to learn and take what I saw and what popped up in my mind in a more detailed way
This is a method of collecting data through taking surveys It is explained to be used to express
“thoughts, opinions, and feelings” (Kabir, 2016) The surveys of this study were created on Google Forms because the interface of this platform is friendly, familiar, and easily accessible to survey respondents in these international communities Through the surveys, I can generalize the results obtained The results were exported into a Google Sheet for better categorization
Moreover, these surveys also received many respondents, providing a broader perspective on international fans
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
The following chapter explains how international fans perceive their idols, not only to find how but also to know what they are thinking and seeing and why they idolize these Japanese idols, even though they are not in the same language This chapter begins with some information on Japanese idols, the hypothesis, the survey results, and the analysis.
JAPANESE IDOLS
Aidoru (アイドル – Idol)
The word aidoru comes from the word “idols”, the word became having a substantial effect in Japan after the French film Cherchez l’idole, which had its initial release on February
26, 1964, in France, then appeared in Japan on November 21, 1964, under the name of “アイド
ルを探せ” (In Search of an Idol) (Aoyagi, 2005, p.4-5) In Cambridge Academic Content
Dictionary (2009), the word “idol” is defined as:
1 a person who is loved, admired or respected a lot
2 An idol is also an object or picture that is worshiped as a god
When talking about idols in Japan, it most likely relates to young people performing on stage and keeping their cute image to the audience These idols are both female and male and are thought to be “the girls and boys next door” (Aoyagi, 1991, p.7) Masayoshi (2014) defines aidoru as people who debut before 18 years of age, are a singer, appears on multiple media besides singing, for example, television, variety shows, movies, and drama, or even gravure magazines, and don’t have blessing talents, attracting appearance, singing ability, and any skill that makes the audience feel amazed in general
A brief history of Japanese idol culture
Japan’s idol phenomenon began in the 1950s It was not until the 1970s that it became widely known as the “first year of idol era” (Galbraith & Karlin, 2012) But in 1971, Saori Minami, Mari Amachi, and Rumiko Koyanagi made their debut as Three Young Girls (Sannin Musume) Saori Minami, who had her debut in 1971, made a hit called “17 Years Old” (17-sai) She is remembered as the first national aidoru and set the aidoru standard: cute and young (Kitagawa et al., 2013; Okajima & Okada, 2011, p 50) スター誕生 (Birth of a star!) is a talent show on
Nippon Television Network Corporation, aired from 1971 to 1983 was a place where numerous idols, both male and female, were born Masako Mori, Junko Sakurada, Momoe Yamaguchi, Hiromi Iwasaki, Pink Lady, Mako Ishino, Yoshie Kashiwabara, Kyouko Koizumi, Akina
Nakamori, Yukiko Okada, Akiki Matsumoto were winners of the show Later they became stars
From the 1980s to the 1990s, the idol culture that was strongly affected across Japan became
“the golden age of idols” when most television programs showed idols During “the golden age”, some iconic idols are Seiko Matsuda, Kyouko Koizumi, Yukiko Okada and, remarkably, Onyanko Club, a Japanese pop idol group consisting of all female members
Onyanko Club was the first one to introduce the “graduation” system, which now can be seen in
48 Groups, such as groups based in Japan: AKB48 (Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan), SKE48 (Sakae, Nagoya, Japan), HKT48 (Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan) and groups based outside Japan: JKT48 (Jarkata, Indonesia), BNK48 (Bangkok, Thailand), SGO48 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and so on The “graduation” system, in Japanese, is “卒業” (Sotsugyou) It means when a member leaves their respective group, they want to find a new horizon It doesn’t bind to only 48 Groups but other idol groups as well
Around the 1990s, idol history came to a “winter era” Idols of that era did not stick to idol activities, and several successful people quickly found their way to an active part in being an actress or singer Moreover, the idol system then unfolded, leaving many people disillusioned Because with the “next door image”, Aidoru seemed like someone we might already know, an acquaintance, so it would be easier to encounter the audience The system wanted to “sell the image” to the fans
When Morning Musume debuted, the “winter era” ended In April 1997, five runner-ups of a talent search show: Yuko Nakazawa, Aya Ishiguro, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, and Asuka Fukuda, were later debuted as “Morning Musume” They even had their first demo single named “Ai no Tane” with 50,000 copies Morning Musume had some remarkable achievements during their first steps, such as Best New Artist from the 40th Japan Record Awards in 1998, New Artist of the Year Award in The Japan Gold Disc Award in 1999, which is enough to tell of their success
Besides Morning Musume, SMAP (Sports Music Assemble People) is a famous male idol group that took the spotlight with several awards It seemed that the idol trend soon regained its popularity
Many years later, during the 2000s, there were even more idols debuted in the entertainment, with the name which the media named the “Idol Warring Period” (アイドル戦国時代) The biggest debut during these years must belong to AKB48 in 2005 They were seen as “national idols” The reasons were that their fan base expanded, CD sales skyrocketed, and AKB48 themselves gained more media exposure in 2009 (Patrick, 2017) However, as the world kept evolving, Japanese idols also developed into various forms In 2007, Hatsune Miku, a Japanese virtual idol (Guga, 2015), a Vocaloid singing software, was created and became famous
24 worldwide The Idolmaster, announced in 2005, Love Live! in 2010, and Uta no Prince-sama in
2010, were the idol franchises that took the form of anime, voiced by “idol voice actors/actresses”, and became popular globally.
Japanese idols and international fans
3.1 Japanese idols and international fans
The original meaning of the word aidoru mentions that one object is worshiped or someone who is favored a lot But nowadays, in Japan, the meaning of the word is different from the original (Okusana, 2018, p 52) In this study, I would like to focus more on “career aidoru” (Yamamoto,
2019, p 40), virtual idol, and idol voice actors
Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members: Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto, formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency Johnny & Associates is an entertainment company founded in 1975 by Johnny Kitagawa The company manages a variety of famous Japanese male idols, and Arashi is a part of them Arashi formed in 1999 in Hawaii and made its debut in the same year Their reputation has always been high with various awards and is still popular today Even though they announced their hiatus statement in early 2021, their concert film, ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×20 FILM “Record of Memories,” released on November 3rd, 2021, was still able to achieve some remarkable records Today, their communities and their fans are still active during the group’s hiatus
Babymetal is a Japanese kawaii metal band formed in 2010 by Amuse agency They combine metal music and aidoru with background instrumentation performed by the “Kami band”
Babymetal is a sub-unit of the idol group Sakura Gakuin – formed in 2010 by the same company Babymetal consists of 3 members: Suzuka Nakamoto - Sumetal, Moa Kikuchi - Moametal, and Yui Mizuno - Yuimetal In early 2014, Babymetal released their first album, Babymetal It was the same year when Suzuka Nakamoto graduated Since Moa and Yui didn’t graduate yet, it was hard for them to take more significant steps 2014 was when Babymetal began their career as a
“standalone group” (Kennedy, 2020, p 206) – completely separated from Sakura Gakuin
Babymetal has achieved different awards in the metal music genre There was curiosity about whether Babymetal is an idol group or not Babymetal, in the beginning, is still an idol group Still, instead of debating on this matter, it can’t be denied that Babymetal is a mixture of both idol and metal music genres, combining a 2-in-1 combo as their image It’s simply not the
Japanese idols that people may imagine: cute Their live performances not just in Japan but also in other foreign countries, such as Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom, etc., made them gain a lot of international fans On October 10th, 2021, Babymetal went on indefinite hiatus 3.1.2 Virtual idol – Hatsune Miku
In 2004, Crypton Future Media made a singing synthesis technology called Vocaloid In 2007, Crypton Future Media and Yamaha released Hatsune Miku Saki Fujita is the person who sampled her voice for Miku By using the voicebank released by the company, producers and musicians can produce their songs with Miku as the vocalist With no personality given, Hatsune Miku’s communities, and fans, portrayed her image in various forms, from fan art to music, helping Miku have any character based on the person who created the content For example, the producer making a new song can portray Miku’s personality by using her voice in any way they
26 want Le (2013) said: “Vocaloid producers, instead of keeping with the formula for mainstream music, often end up taking the opposite route, creating songs about any topic they like ranging from serious topics like life and death to silly topics such as wanting to eat fish or being a cat.” Despite other Vocaloids being introduced to the audience, Hatsune Miku has always been the one to be the most popular With the English version of her voicebank becoming available, international producers soon began to produce their music Hatsune Miku’s collaboration with racing cars, Good Smile Company for Nendoroids and figures, etc., and other collaborators, has created a phenomenon all over the world Therefore, more and more international fans began to notice her
3.1.3 Idol voice actors – Love Live! franchise and the Idolmaster franchise
“Love Live!” is a series of Japanese media mixes showing the struggle and growth of fictional idol groups formed at school The franchise contains multiple generations of the series, including
“Love Live! School idol project”, “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, “Love Live! Nijigasaki High School idol club”, the latest “Love Live! Superstar!!” “School idol” refers to a person who is active on the stage of a school, following two conditions: a student and an amateur (who has no experience in being an idol at first) By crossing the male-included element out in the franchise, the series gained popularity both domestically and internationally The voice actors for the franchise are widely selected from various genres, from singers to models The groups’ names in the franchise, μ's, Aqours, or Liella!! are all decided by a poll voted publicly From 2010 to 2022, Love Live! had various achievements in Japan In 2016 its game called Love Live! School idol festival reached a record of 30 million players worldwide With appealing characters, different genres of music, as well as famous voice actors from different genres, the franchise has gained wide support not just domestically but internationally as well The franchise released various kinds of
27 merchandise so fans could support the franchise in multiple ways I am also a fan of the franchise, as written in the introduction
The Idolmaster is another Japanese media mix but began as an idol-raising simulation game The series mainly focuses on a talent agency called 765 Production Subsequently, the franchise evolves into various forms: anime, games, Korean drama, radio shows, etc., The franchise contains a giant timeline starting from 2005 The number of idols of the franchise is more than
300, and it will continue to increase in the near future “THE iDOLM@STER (original and 2nd Vision)”, “THE iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls”, “THE iDOLM@STER: Million Live!”,
“THE iDOLM@STER SideM”, “The iDOLM@STER.KR”, and “THE iDOLM@STER: Shiny Colors” are the smaller units of the Idolmaster – the mega one Various spin-offs, games, and adaptations of the franchise have attracted a considerable number of fans.
RESEARCH RESULTS
Japanese idols viewed under the lens of international fans
The first question in my survey asked about international fans’ definition of Japanese idols According to most international fans, Japanese idols are most defined as people who “sing and dance”, people who “perform”, and people who are “cute”, and “entertainers” However, when I read those responses, I also found some remarkable responses showing their knowledge of
Japanese idols One LoveLiver 7 explained their definition as someone or a group who releases songs and holds live concerts backed by a larger company 8
Another LoveLive! fan shown a longer understanding:
“Idols are beacons of happiness and light that shine their brightest when they have overcome their own personal obstacles in order to reach their greatest potential They are beacons in that they can radiate their energy to their audience in order to boost the morale of everyone attending their shows, listening to their music, or keeping up with any news about them Idols, through work and dedication, motivate people to keep moving forward in their daily lives
In other words, due to idols' songs and performances, people around the world are able to take a break to cheer themselves up or start realizing their own aspirations.”
I had a chance to interview Michael Ngo, a LoveLiver, on his definition of Japanese idols He said:
7 LoveLiver, referring to the fans of Love Live!
8 “Someone/group of people that primarily release songs and hold live concerts, backed by a larger company/agency to handle marketing, finances, logistics, etc”
“I see Japanese idols as what a real proper idol is by literal definition Meaning people that have to both sing and dance at the same time while wearing costumes Along with typical idol stuff like selling CDs, merch, going on talk shows, having a meet and greet fan meeting, Example: The “idols” over here in the USA in the show “American Idol” are not real idols because they don’t both sing and dance; they usually sing only.”
To international fans, deep down in their hearts exist a more extensive meaning and more precise knowledge when they think about Japanese idols, not just “someone who is worshipped”
Arashians 9 are somehow exceptional Arashi has affected and changed their thoughts on
Japanese idols A few of them think idols are someone you admire, an “inspiration”, while some think idols are “someone who makes others happy”, a smaller portion of them think of people who are “talented” There are even answers mentioning only “Arashi”, which means these people define “Arashi” as idols, or as in their point of view, Arashi is the definition of Japanese idols One respondent said:
“Before i know about Arashi i always think all of idol talent must be perfect and beautiful but Arashi change my mind ”
“I honestly don't know much about the idol scene I come to BABYMETAL from the metal side of things From my outsider's perspective, most idol groups seem to swap out members pretty regularly.”
Unlike other idols, some of The One are people who became a fan of the music genre and then met Babymetal However, as most of these people came to be fans, they might have little
9 Arashian, referring to the fans of Arashi
10 The One is the official BABYMETAL fan club, referring to Babymetal fans
33 knowledge of Japanese idols, like the above respondent One Miku lover in the age group of 31 to 40 responded:
“Young song and dance performers marketed as media personalities, often part of a larger group Typical activities include releasing music albums and singles, live performances, guest appearances on media programs, and cross-promotional events and merchandise.”
In summary, these definitions surround the meaning of not just someone being idolized but also getting popular, having many fans, working for an entertainment company for profit and entertainment, or someone being the mirror of hard work and inspiration for other people
When asked the following question about why Japanese idols are popular worldwide, many different answers were given There were international fans who felt that Japanese idols were not that famous However, most of the respondents have reasons to prove Japanese idols’ popularity, and all have words in common
When asked the following question about why Japanese idols are popular worldwide, many different answers were given There were international fans who felt that Japanese idols were not that famous But most of the respondents all have reasons to prove Japanese idols’ popularity, and all have words in common
When categorizing Arashians’ answers, I found it hard to analyze since everyone had their own opinions on the question 21 of them came up with a pattern keyword called “uniqueness” Arashians thought the uniqueness in each of these Japanese idols was the reason that made them famous 22 had a pattern related to “music” 17 thought it was the culture related to movies, dramas, anime, Jpop, etc Only 6 thought about appearance More than that, there are other reasons such as:
“Because of their deep difference in style, sound and approach to fans (in the West
World, there aren't “idols” so multi-skilled and the “categories” in look, music, ability are more targetized).”
“They are popular because they started at a young age and have cultivated a ground in the industry where they can be known for their talent, skills and personality Just like Matsumoto said, Arashi have roots in entertainment industry especially that they came from an agency whose motive is to make popular boy groups that has been going on for many years They are also popular because of the producers who work together to create their music is also a factor.”
On the contrary, a few thought Japanese idols were not that popular One respondent thought Japanese idols are not that popular in a particular foreign country, but they have fans worldwide Another participant expressed feelings and explained that Japanese idols often take part in charity projects It feels that they are less a product only for the entertainment business The rest of the results were focused on different reasons, mainly on their “charming” looks, “kind” personality, and great “talent”
When coming to Babymetal’s side with 167 participants, 22 thought Japanese idols were not that popular However, 32 of them thought the reason was “talented” 38 mentioned “appearance” This is related to “being cute”, “fun”, “appealing”, “kawaii” Another 38 told about “unique” Another 16 thought “music” was the reason The rest were some minor opinions about “culture” influence, One Babymetal fan mentioned the same characteristic as Korean idols and the Asian culture is different from the West 11 Still, some of them did not know much about the reason why
11 “Because like k-idols, asian culture is very much different from the west Everything different is fascinating.”
Next, it is Hatsune Miku fans’ turn Out of 54 answers, 10 mentioned “cute” as the reason, 6 brought up “anime” as the main factor, and another 6 told the difference between Western artists and Japanese idols The rest were for a variety of different reasons, such as “style”, “fashion”,
“culture”, “music” On the other hand, there was also an exception:
Factors that enable international fans adherence
2.1 The reason for their love
The next question in the survey asked why these fans like their idols I have included options that fall into the following categories: Image, Song, and Personality in this question Each group contains a few reasons However, for each idol group, the questions will have some slight changes to fit the traits of the community However, they do not affect the actual result Below are the results of Arashi.
Figure 6 The chosen reasons why Arashians love their idol
Image category: “They have a cute image”; “They have a cool image”; “They are a fun group”;
They have emotional songs that speak for your heart
They have great songs The group's characteristic attracts you
They have a strong bond to overcome hardships
They reflect an image of yours They have a healing image They are a fun group They have a cool image They have a cute image
Why Arashians love their idol
The number of people who chose the option
Personality category: “They reflect an image of yours”; “They have a strong bond to overcome hardships”; “The group's characteristic attracts you”
Music category: “They have great songs”; “They have emotional songs that speak for your heart”
Among these options, the top 3 are “They have a strong bond to overcome hardships” chosen by
145 people, “They are a fun group” with 141, “They have great songs” with 140 It seems that all the categories are essential to Arashians “The group's characteristic attracts you” came 4th,
“They have a healing image” came 5th All support the top 3
However, the respondents filled in some special reasons but not written in the above chart One respondent said: “They are so creative in making concerts and everything” Arashi is known for their “moving stage”, invented by Matsumoto Jun - a member of Arashi, which can be used to get Arashi closer to the fans who sit further behind Another fan said, “I don't speak Japanese but
I feel a connection with them” It is easy to acknowledge that international fans may not understand what Japanese idols say or sing, but the feelings are confirmed through the songs Others filled in responses include Arashi being their inspiration - motivation, Arashi's members' personality, and telling the songs can increase your mood CherryPine, a long-time Arashian I connected with on Discord, told me why she liked Arashi: “I like their music and concert, they have many songs that can cheer me up Their concerts are fun and amazing They also have good personalities, they work hard and they are not afraid to try new things to improve themselves They also really care and respect their fans.” Ilaria primrose, another interviewee, said: “I love them because they serve as my hope in the darkness Whenever i feel bad, they never failed to lighten up my world somehow.”
Figure 7 The chosen reasons why The One love their idol
Image category: “They have a cute image”; “They have a cool image”; “They are a fun group”;
“They have a healing image”, “Their image combines cute and metal, it's special, and you like that”
Personality category: “They reflect an image of yours”; “The group's characteristic attracts you”
Music category: “They have cool, great music”; “You like Japanese culture and you like metal genre music”
137 of them chose “They have cool, great metal songs” Next is “Their image combines cute and metal, it's special, and you like that” “You like Japanese culture and you like metal genre music” came close Next is “They are a fun group” There are a lot of different opinions on why these people liked Babymetal To The One, “Music” and “Image” matter more Some great reasons
You like Japanese culture and you like metal genre music
They have cool, great metal music The group's characteristic attracts you They reflect an image of yours Their image combines cute and metal, it's special, and you…
They have a healing image They are a fun group They have a cool image They have a cute image
Why The One love their idol
The number of people who chose the option
40 were also given One stated: “A new refreshing take on the metal genre Instead of doom and gloom, this band is about positivity, fun and kawaii.” Another mentioned Babymetal’s adventure, from where they started to how they overcame challenges 12 Other respondents told a lot about their music, energy, live performances, and voices as the reasons
Here are the results of Hatsune Miku’s respondents
Figure 8 The chosen reasons why Miku fans love their idol
Image category: “She has a cute image”; “She has a cool image”; “She is fun”; “She has a healing image”, “Her design looks cool and you like details about it”
Personality category: “She reflects an image of yours”
Music category: “You like her songs and voice which are computer-generated”; “She has great songs”; “She has emotional songs that speak for your heart”
12 “Their backstory Where they started, forging their own path, overcoming challenges.”
She has emotional songs that speak for your heart
She has great songs You like her songs and voice which are computer-generated
She reflects an image of yours Her design looks cool and you like details about it
She is fun She has a cool image She has a cute image
Why Miku fans love their idol
The number of people who chose the option
Hatsune Miku is the only idol that I did not include much of the “personality” category as she did not have her personality at first Most 54 people choose “She has great songs” and “She has a cute image” among these options So to a fan, an idol being cute and having memorable songs is always attention-grabbing “You like her songs and voice which are computer-generated” is the next one The rest came close as they are some side reasons The least chosen option is “She reflects an image of yours”, which belongs to the “personality” category They like her because of her voice, her “image”, and her remarkable “songs” Noticeably, “She has a healing image” is widely picked, with 37 out of 54 participants When they are getting through hardships, seeing Hatsune Miku encourages them and gives them the power to overcome
However, there are still some reasons not on the list, filled in by the participants One Miku lover revealed: “She and Vocaloid on the whole represent an artistic freedom of expression in my opinion, in that they allow anyone to become a music producer, to have their songs, their words sung, their ideas conveyed and profit off their works without needing to find a vocalist, something most common people simply cannot afford This accessibility also made Miku songs incredibly various and especially incredibly “pure” in a sense.” It's understandable when Miku's songs have such a specialty as her voice is more convenient than a real vocalist Surprisingly, there was a reason confessed:
“Hatsune Miku has helped me through countless problems and has even prevented me from taking my own life on multiple accounts.”
This person might have gone through the worst things in life, and deep down in them, a bright light shone through, and Miku became the “savior” of their life Capt Pred, a person I connected with and interviewed through Discord, told me the reason he liked her: “Personally, I would say that at first, it was for her voice, and her look, but as of today, it's also about a philosophical
42 thought about someone un-existing in this world, yet feeling like she's alive to everyone else Hear me out, I don't think Miku is a person, I see her as a product that CFM (Crypton Future Media) must advertise and keep in their pocket, but the fact that everyone personify her and give her a soul is something else to me, it's unreliable As much as I appreciate her looks, her voice, and that she's present in my music, I “love” her as much as I love other artists But in term of look, she beats everyone.” Capt Pred indeed has a clear border between real and artificial He loves Miku not in a romantic way but in a way of wonderment
The last one is Love Live!
Figure 9 The chosen reasons why LoveLiver love their idol group
Image category: “They have a cute image”; “They have a cool image”; “They are a fun group”;
Personality category: “They reflect an image of yours”; “They have a strong bond to overcome hardships”; “The group's characteristic attracts you”
They have emotional songs that speak for your heart
They have great songs The group's characteristic attracts you
They have a strong bond to overcome hardships
They reflect an image of yours They have a healing image They are a fun group They have a cool image They have a cute image
Why LoveLivers love their idols
The number of people who chose the option
Music category: “They have great songs”; “They have emotional songs that speak for your heart”
90 of 113 chose “They have great songs” and “They are a fun group” LoveLivers like their group's songs and fun traits The next most chosen choice is “They have emotional songs that speak for your heart” Love Live!'s μ's has a song called Snow Halation The song’s lyrics are not just about romantic love but a beautiful message of love for all things “The group's characteristic attracts you” comes close Each group in the franchise has a specific number of members, each of them comes with a different kind of personality, but together they are still able to shine their colors This point is another factor that attracts the fans The least chosen option is
“She reflects an image of yours”, meaning that these idols somehow do not have much in common with the fans
However, there are still special reasons written by the participants However, there are still special reasons written by the participants One fan showed their liking for the pronunciation of the name 13 Another showed their feeling of connection to the group 14 One person said, “Out of all the Love Live groups, they feel the least like cartoon characters and more like real people in my opinion” Michael Ngo, an interviewee who has his love for μ's, explained that music is the biggest reason “They went from zero and about to disband/make the franchise go bankrupt on their debut music sale to being a worldwide phenomenon now within a few years of hard work.” Somehow, these fans got a connection with the idols they follow I, the researcher, and a fellow fan have the same passion for this franchise, not only for the great albums and beautiful songs but also for unique characters
13 “I like the pronunciation of the name.”
14 “I was around for when the group was introduced, felt connected to the group as I “grew up” alongside them”
2.3 Why they love their favorite member
In the next part of the survey of Arashi, Babymetal, and Love Live!, I asked them who their most favorite member was and why they liked that member so much In the Arashian community, 19 answered with the “voice” keyword within One respondent said:
“His voice is so unique even you close your eyes you can still recognize that it is him And I also like older guys（笑）”
Nevertheless, higher than that, 56 of them chose “personality” Arashi members' have those
“genuine”, “kind”, “smart”, and “funny” traits, which made their favorite one gain their support
51 of them gave answers related to “appearance” The rest are some exceptional answers as they gave answers related to Arashi members “themselves” Ilaria primrose told me that she admired Sho Sakurai because he was a great role model for her
Coming to Babymetal, fans who chose Suzuka Nakamoto mostly admire the member for her
“vocal” One fan said: “She is an incredible singer, amazing stage presence, and one of the greatest singing voices I’ve ever heard.” While the other 2 members are favored for their personality and appearance, Moa Kikuchi is favored for her “presence” during stage and performance Meanwhile, Yui is favored for her “cuteness” HolyMoa, a personal interviewee, mentioned Moa Kikuchi’s smartness, friendliness, and energy However, HolyMoa does not clearly know how to describe her love for Moa
For Love Live!, respondents mentioned how they are related to their idols through personality, stories of how these idols deal with their problems “I see a lot of myself in her, as she is often shy and afraid of doing things that make her look dumb.”, one respondent said One fan even
45 gave me a Word document writing what they and their idol have in common Another mentioned how they admire Honoka Kousaka and the seiyuu 15 – Emi Nitta: