Bikkuri Project

I have attempted to delve into the minds of the Musume, perhaps it’s time to delve into my own mind for once. I seem to spend an awful lot of time blogging, and I’m certainly not getting paid for it or doing so under duress, so we can assume that I enjoy it. The more I think about it though, the more unsure I am about exactly why I blog. I’ve considered a few options.

1. I’m hoping to spread news of Hello Project and earn them more fans.

No, I don’t think this is it. I’m writing under the assumption that everyone who bothers to read this blog is already at least familiar with h!p, so I doubt I’m creating any new fans. I guess that particular motivation is more accurate now that I have two blogs, because I can do some cross-promoting. I feel guilty when I do that though, so I try to keep it to the minimum.

2. I like writing in general, and practice makes perfect.

There may be some truth to that. I’ve loved to write since I first learned how, and have, at various times in my life, considered trying to make a career of it. I do hope that keeping this blog, not to mention receiving critiques from comments/international wota write-ups, will work to improve my writing skills. I don’t think this is my primary motivation though. I mean, I could be writing anything, so why this?

3. I feel that my opinions are superior to all others and therefore, the world needs to hear them.

Gee, I hope that’s not it. That would make me kind of an ass, wouldn’t it?

4. I love Jpop, and Hello Project in particular, but I don’t have anyone to talk with about it, so I use this as an outlet.

It’s true! I’ve even posted about that particul
ar frustration. I think I’m getting warmer now.

5. I am just as much an attention whore as Reina, and I keep this blog because compliments, recognition, and the knowledge that lots of people are reading it makes me ridiculously happy

Uh oh. That might well be a big part of it. To think that I criticized Koharu for being an attention whore, when I may well be worse than she is. Oh cruel irony! I don’t like exploring my mind anymore. It’s full of uncomfortable truths. This exercise is over!

Owatta,

~Celestia~

I have listed my very favorite Hello Project songs, so now what’s left for me to do but list my very least favorite? Look forward to seeing my most mediocre h!p songs in the next post! Just kidding on that one (maybe). Did you know that ‘mediocre’ is a rather difficult word to spell? Thank God for spell checkers. Anyway, there are quite a few h!p songs that are bad by virtue of being boring, but I listen to those songs once and then forget about them. The songs on this list are the ones that are either performed often enough that I can’t ignore them or so very bad that I cannot forget about them. Oh, and don’t freak out because I hate your favorite song, okay?

10. Dschingis Khan, Berryz- I haven’t seen the PV yet, so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt and putting it at the least worst spot on this list. The song just really makes me cry for the Berryz. Some stupid old European song about a bloodthirsty warlord sung in a range that is far too high for them? It’s a mean joke being played on Berryz Koubou, that’s what it is, and I won’t stand for it!

9.Yeah! Meccha Holiday, Matsuura Aya- It goes on far too long with the “Yeah! Meccha..” lines and every time I hear that line, I’m less enthusiastic about it. It goes like this “Yeah!” “Yeah.” “Meh.” “Okay, knock it off already!” Maybe it’s not really Ayaya’s fault though. It might be all of the bad renditions of this song that have been done by other h!p members.

8.Aoi Sportscar no Otoko, Aoiro 7- I enjoy the “dame dame” part because it was used for the Hello Morning karaoke segments, and I loved those. I don’t like the song though because it’s rather tuneless. The chorus doesn’t even really have a melody. I don’t know how, or why, you would have a chorus without a discernable melody.

7.Dance and Chance, Coconuts Musume- What annoys me here is not the sound of the song, but that it’s full of really really lame English. Lyrics like that would get laughed at in America, and it makes me sad that some poor Japanese people might have been tricked into thinking they were cool. I blame Coconuts Musume as they knew full well how bad those lyrics were and yet they did nothing to stop this.

6. Hyoukkori Hyoutanjima, Morning Musume- Mari’s speech at the beginning of this single is engrish that I can get behind. Unfortunately, my appreciation for the song ends there. I don’t know why Morning Musume suddenly felt the need to release a song aimed at pre-schoolers, but I hope that they never do it again. I don’t even like facial hair on men.

5. Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda, Economi- Taking two of the very worst singers in h!p and having them “sing” a song together. Didn’t really think that through, did you Tsunku? “Sing” is in quotes because there’s not much actual singing, is there? Mostly it’s just talking. If I wanted to listen to a recording of people talking, I’d buy a book on tape.

4. Gag 100kaiban Aishitekudasai, Berryz- Don’t laugh, but I feel like this song is mocking me, I really do. The whole “sukinanda” part is done is this cutesy sing-songy voice that makes me feel like they’re repeating something I just said in a super-mocking way. “shuki nyaaan da shuki nyaaan da…” I wish I could gag them every time they go into that part. Hahahaha. I suddenly feel a bit better about the song.

3. Namida Tomaranai Houkago, Morning Musume- If you can stay awake long enough to notice, there are many things wrong with this song beyond how very very boring it is. Three of the four leads are KonKon (bless her heart), Sayu, and Rika (add Koharu, and you’ve got the 4 worse singers MM has ever seen). Worse, almost no one else sings at all, and several of the girls are wearing horrible shiny leisure suits for no apparent reason. Finally, the song is so utterly saccharine that it makes me feel a bit ill. KonKon singing, “My tears won’t stop… because I’m just too happy!” Bleeeeech.

2. Happy, Koharu- The short explanation is that listening to this song causes me to become violent. For the longer explanation: http://celestia-414.livejournal.com/17998.html#cutid2

1.Konnichi Pa, Kirari Kusumi- If worse songs than this exist in the world, I no longer want to be a part of it. Check the link above for further explanation.

Amen,

~Celestia~

In anticipation of my “Bonkyu Bomb” concert DVD arriving, I have decided to participate in a time honored college tradition and create a drinking game. This one is to be used with Hello Project concerts. How perfect is that avatar for this? Please note that it’s is really just meant to be fun, not encourage irresponsible drinking behavior, and yes, I am of age. If you are not, I dunno, eat M&Ms instead or something (lol). The number of drinks (or m&m’s?) required is listed over each category. Oh, and remember kids, don’t play h!p drinking games and drive. ; )

Celestia’s Hello Project Concert Drinking Game

1

-Someone flashes a peace sign during a song that does not have the word “Peace” in the title

-Love Machine is performed

-Reina winks

-Special Generation is performed

-Someone yells, “Genki desu ka?!?”

2

-Any sort of “l-o-v-e lovely so and so” chant occurs

-Confetti or fog is released

-Someone cries

- A song about food is performed

3

-Costume layers are ripped off mid-song

-You spot a female or child in the audience

-A new member is introduced or a graduation is announced

- Someone “Aiiiins”

4

-Two girls accidentally collide on stage

-Any sort of beaaaaaaaam happens

-A Pucchimoni or Tanpopo song is performed

- VUDen is dressed modestly

5

-Someone forgets the lyrics

-Ai no Tane is performed (seriously, is this song off limits now or something?)

- Anyone is wearing a headmic but clearly not lipsyncing

- Momoko holds her microphone with her pinky retracted

10

-Koharu sings one of her solos live (you’re going to need the drinks, trust me)

TGIF,

~Celestia~

If I was a Japanese studies major I would write my thesis about the ‘idol’ concept. It’s just so fascinating really. Thinking about all of the good things about being a fan of idols has made me also consider one of its major perils: idol disillusionment.

We know that idols strive to portray themselves as the ‘ideal’ girl/guy that you so often see in romantic comedies or TV shows. They have their own individual personalities because ‘ideal’ means different things to different people, but their negative points are only shown just enough to add interest and charm. Like “Aww… she’s so clumsy, how cute!” or “Ooh. She’s kind of shy, how sweet!” The difference between idols and those movie characters is that the movie is upfront about being a fantasy, but we’re encouraged to believe that the idol really is that person we see on TV. Deep down, I think even the most diehard fans suspect that it can’t be totally true, but they want it to be true, so suspicions are suppressed. Others of us simply enjoy the game of pretend, so we enjoy the illusion until they give us reason not to. I’m not saying that all idols are really horrible people or even that their entire personality is a lie. It’d be nearly impossible to spend that much time constantly acting like someone they’re not. However, I do realize that the sides of their personality we are allowed to see is something that’s carefully controlled both by the idol and his or her agency. We see all of the good things about them, but anything that the public might find distasteful is carefully hidden away, allowing us to believe that there really isn’t anything distasteful about them at all.

Idols want you to accept the fantasy, but doing so puts the fans and even the idols themselves in a potentially dangerous position. We, the fans, may allow ourselves to become emotionally invested in our idols, and if that illusion of perfection is ever shattered or even cracked, the results can be devastating for both sides. Unfortunately, since the idols are only human, this is something that’s bound to happen eventually in most cases.

It doesn’t take much to damage that dream of perfection. It could be something as small as the idol who you thought was the world’s most wonderful singer hitting a bad note during a concert. It could be a picture of the girl who you thought possessed unworldly beauty looking tired and bloated. It could be a rumor that two members of a group that you enjoy don’t really get along very well in real life or a sharp comment an idol makes about overzealous fans. It’s not too hard to move past these little dings in an otherwise flawless image, but you can tell from the emotional reaction these events draw that they do bother the fans on a deeper level than they ought to. It can be very disappointing when something like that happens, because you trusted that idol and she has let you down. Some fans will react by becoming extremely defensive and proclaim that there was no bad note, she’s looking as lovely as ever in that picture, those girls are best friends because two people who are both so nice couldn’t not get along, and of course that idol loves and adores each and every one of her fans. Despite the squadrons of knights in shining armor rushing to protect their idol’s honor, every single one of these small slights does damage his or her image in some way. Even if you choose not to believe it, you can’t unhear that rumor or un-see that performance. Bit by bit the fantasy becomes tainted.. The most devoted fans will continue to deny that these flaws exist, but the rest of us have to sigh and accept them. It’s too bad, but not entirely unexpected, and she’s still pretty darn great even if she’s not perfect, right? We certainly prefer to see them as perfection personified, but almost perfect is usually good enough. An idol’s image can take a certain amount of damage without their idol status being lost. The idol and fan relationship will persist until one black day when blurry grey pictures splashed with headlines appear on your computer screen.

A major scandal is the worst case scenario. What happened with Aibon, for example, resulted in MASSIVE disillusionment for her fans. If, to a fan, one of the small flaws mentioned above stings a bit, a major scandal is like a shotgun blast to the gut. There was indeed much weeping, gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair over Miss Kago. Aibon’s scandal evoked a strong emotional reaction in all of her fans. Though you didn’t know it at the time, by becoming your fan, you were setting yourself up for heartbreak. When you think about it, it’s strange that it should be that way. We don’t know this girl. She doesn’t owe us anything, so why did we feel so betrayed, lied to even?

The truth is, we were, and are, being lied to all along about our idols, but we just don’t want to hear it. We like our happy illusions that there are perfect humans among us. In an often pessimistic world they reflect the most optimistic sort of view on humanity. If people like that are really out there, the world can’t be that bad a place, I think. There is a sort of unspoken promise between an idol and their fans. If you support them they will provide you with that sort of escape from the harsher realities of the world. That’s why we feel so betrayed when our angels fall. You may know full well that the girl is just a normal human who happens to have a pretty face, but she has agreed to allow you to dream and pretend that she is something much much more than that, and if she has a scandal that suspension of disbelief is no longer possible.

Perhaps eventually we can come to accept that he/she was only human after all, direct our anger at the ‘unfair’ idol system or the heartless tabloids, and wish them happiness in their life. Once that illusion is gone though, even if he/she should return to show business, the virtual relationship you had with them can never be the same again because they have broken your trust.

To draw in another metaphor, logically I know that what goes on behind the scenes at Disney Land is not all peaches and cream and magic and wonder, but I can still get immense enjoyment out of visiting the park and pretending otherwise. If someone tried to show me all of the bad stuff, I would be quite upset, because I’d never enjoy going there the same way again. I’d have irrevocably lost something that used to bring me joy. Patronizing idols is similar to patronizing Disney Land. I know that the bad stuff is out there, but as long as I can’t see it I can successfully pretend that it doesn’t exist. There is a lot of fun to be gained from a visit to Disney Land or following a favorite idol, but disillusionment is a very painful process, so those who engage in idol worship (or Disney fanaticism) best be aware that they may be setting themselves up for a fall.

Isn’t it ironic that by creating this blog, I have put myself in a position to think deeply about the subject of idoldom? I feel like idols are not meant to be thought deeply about. If anything, they’re meant to be a distraction from the things that you have to think deeply about, and yet here I am, writing this. Would they (the idols) be amused if they knew that people are writing things like this, I wonder? Well, for the fascet of idoldom that I’ve been thinking about recently….

In my opinion, the three most important qualities for an idol are musical talent, looks, and personality. I’ve recently found myself wondering which of these abilities is the most important when it comes to making an idol popular. Yeah, I know the girl who management decides to promote more is going to get a popularity boost, but management will choose the girl who is the easiest to sell to the audience, so it really comes around to the same thing anyway. It’s like taking the public’s initial preference and intentionally amplyfying it.

Being a science major, I decided to collect some data and make a graph! (yeah, I’m a dork. Shut up!)

What I did is rank the Morning Musume members on all three traits and then classify them as either being relatively high or low in popularity. I’m sure that you will vehemently disagree with me on some of my calls, so rather than showing you how I ranked each girl and spending the rest of the week defending myself in the comments section, I’m just going to give the overall results. I tried to be as objective as possible, but I do realized that this is all heavily influenced by my personal opinions. Anyway, there were calculations and spreadsheets and whatnot, but it came out that the trait most positive correlation with popularity was looks. Next was personality, and singing was last. That’s not so say that there weren’t any exceptions to these rules, but those were the general trends I found.

To clarify, as far as idols are concerned, the most important trait for popularity is looks, next is personality, and the least important is vocal ability.

So, assuming that I’m right, and looks really are the most important thing for an idol, what does that mean about a singing idol’s purpose from a business standpoint? Are, for example, Morning Musume, a group of singers who use their looks to promote their music/concerts, or are they a group of pretty girls who use their music to get their face out there so people will buy their pictures/merchandise? If you asked the group members, they would probably tell you that they are singers, but maybe the evidence points in the other direction.

That’s not to say that the music is a moot point, because a singing idol’s popularity is tied in with their musical quality, but I’m forced to admit that it’s far from being the determining factor. I can, however, confidently say that if I did not like a good portion of Morning Musume’s music I would not be buying their CDs or attending their concerts, no matter how cute they are. The “rainbow pink” duo is a good example of that phenomenon…

Now that I mention it, Shige-pink is what really prompted me to write this post. You see, when I first became interested in Morning Musume, I hated Michishige Sayumi. “She can’t sing!!!” I would scream at my computer in rage, “Why the f#@% is she even in the
group?!?!” But then… ever so gradually… something begun to change. I started to tolerate Sayumi, and before I knew it, I found myself liking her. I’ve come to realize that I like her quite a lot now, if you hadn’t figured that out from the numerous pictures of her that seem to make their way into my blog. She’s still a terrible singer, but somehow, that doesn’t matter much anymore, and it’s mostly because of how beautiful she is. *takes a moment to imagine how popular Sayumi would be if she sang and danced like Goto Maki*

I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I’m a fan of a singer just because she’s pretty. I’m no male wota who is romantically infatuated with Sayu. Why have my priorities shifted so much? I wonder if it’s a natural thing, for that to happen. Maybe, it’s exactly what they want. The music is like a hook to draw you in, but once you become charmed by the girls you don’t even really care about vocal ability anymore. I fear that the next stage beyond not caring if a girl can’t sing is truly believing that a girl is a wonderful singer when, in reality, she’s terrible. It’s happened to many a Koharu fan*, and I shudder to think that it may happen to me someday. It’d be interesting to see if a high proportion of relatively ‘new’ MM fans favor the better singers in the group while the ‘old’ fans lean more towards the prettier girls. I want to collect some data now. I bet it’d be a pretty graph…

Lastly, on a related, but not h!p note, I know that Matsumoto Jun is the worst singer in Arashi, and I used to dislike him for it, but when he whipped off those glasses at the Johnny’s New Year countdown, God help me, but I wanted to squeal like the giddiest of fangirls. Apparently my priorities tend to shift over time for the other half of the idol spectrum too.

*a note to Koharu fans, seriously guys, say she’s as beautiful as a Goddess, say she’s the most entertaining person who ever lived, say you love her and want to marry her and grow old together, but don’t tell me that she’s a great singer, because that is the point where I start to think you’re crazy.

While I’m eagerly awaiting more H!P material to discuss, I’m going to take a moment to consider the mystery that is AKB48. Specifically, the question of what they are trying to be.

It used to be much easier to figure out. AKB48 were purely and unabashedly pedobait. They pranced around in school uniforms and sang songs like “Shirts Hirari” about flipping up their little skirts for some pantsu action. Okay. While being so blatant about it kind of puts a bad taste in my mouth, at least I can understand that.

Then they decided that they were going to become edgy. They still wore the school uniform, but they sang about more serious issues like underage prostitution and suicide due to bullying. I appreciated that direction, because the two aforementioned songs were really good, and they ventured into territory where h!p dare not tread. Perhaps the AKB48 girls had found their niche?

Most recently they have taken a step (in the wrong direction if you ask me) into more mainstream bubblegum pop. The school uniforms are being replaced by cute dresses, and they’re singing happy, non-offensive songs like “Boku no Taiyou” and “Bingo”. I took this as a sign that they were trying to tone down the pedobait image and break into the mainstream. They performed on Kohaku, after all. The reason that I don’t really like this direction is because more than ever they are looking like “the lesser Morning Musume” which is a whole lot less interesting than what they were doing before. You really can’t out-momusu Morning Musume, especially not with a troupe of 50 girls that only the most hardcore fans can tell apart.

And then… the limited cover of their most recent album knocked me flat on my ass.

I’m sorry. I thought that this was a CD of music by a big group of girls, not some AV idol’s DVD. My mistake. I mean, seriously, WTF is up with this cover? It’s one girl, taking off her dress. You can see her bra. It doesn’t get much less mainstream bubblegum pop than that. It just makes me wonder, why? I feel that seeing a cover like this in the CD store would drive away the casual fan faster than Koharu’s voice drives me away from her singles. It would probably attract their core creepy old man fanbase… but do they really need to attract them more? Have they given up on reaching out to a broader audience?

After careful consideration, I think the explanation is that AKB48’s management thinks that they can have it both ways. Notice that the cover pictured above is the limited edition. The casual fan would probably be more likely to purchase the regular edition (pictured below).

It’s a fine line they’re walking. They want to appear to be cute, wholesome girls to the average listener while maintaining their image as wide-eyed innocent-looking but secretly slutty school girls for their main fanbase. I know that Hello Project walks a similar line, but they lean much more to the cute/wholesome side of things than AKB48 do, and they’re a hell of a lot more subtle about it. I don’t really object to girls using their sexuality to sell music, but when it’s presented the way it is on that album cover, it just comes off as trashy to me. I know there is much worse stuff out there, but it’s not being put out by people trying to market themselves to a general audience.

Honestly, I don’t think that this approach will work for AKB48. I think that the public has already caught wind of what they’re really about, and it doesn’t smell like roses. Rumors have been circulating about AKB48 girls engaging in pay-per-minute phone conversations with their “special customers”, and if there was any doubt about the validity of their recent image cleanup, I think that that album cover should seal the deal. Go ahead and look like cute innocent girls on your TV appearances, but we’re just not buying it anymore.

A late Merry Christmas to everyone! Santa has been very good to me this year. I’m not going to list off all my presents, but let’s just say that a red Zune MP3 player and a new laptop with a 250 GB hard drive and 4GB of memory were among them, though I’m not sure I needed such a nice computer. My boyfriend is kind of drooling and offering to trade me his soul for it. Lol. Rest assured that both of these devices are in the process of being filled with H!P goodness.

You know what I really want for Christmas though? What I really really want is for all of you to vote in this spiffy poll. It’s for “Newcomer of the Year” for h!p. I’ve included both groups and individuals. Aika’s on there because she was added very late in 2006 and didn’t appear in any concert or singles until 2007, so I consider her a 2007 addition. So, c’mon! Does Ongaku Gatas make you want to cheer? Do you think that JunJun is as cuddly as a panda? Is Buono truly the Buenoest? Then get voting!

Best Newcomer of 2007 JunJun LinLin Mitsui Aika KiraPika Athena and Robikerottsu Buono MM 10nen Kinentai Ongaku Gatas

Create Your Own Poll!
Get this Poll

Hoo boy. I didn’t want to write this post, and I know I’m heading down controversy lane again, but I feel that a bit of a reality check has become necessary. There’s a perception that’s becoming more and more prevalent in the blogosphere (eww, I used to word blogosphere), that idols amount to little more than slaves. That they are worked to within an inch of their lives, exploited, severely depressed, and are generally tragic creatures to be treated with great pity. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that serious, but you get the idea. Personally, I don’t feel guilty for patronizing Hello Project, and I hate being told that I should. I’ve considered the possibility that I’m in denial about this and only believing what I want to, but after careful consideration, I think I have some good reasons to feel this way.

Yes, they work hard. There is no disputing that. However, the idea of working hard is something that’s deeply ingrained in the Japanese culture. Your average salary man works from early in the morning to late at night and probably has to come in for at least part of the weekend. Your average student goes to school 6 days a week, cleans the classroom, does club activities, and spends all of their remaining time studying or in cram school. Such is their life, and I doubt they expect anything less.

There are big differences between said salary man and a h!p idol, however. Shukan Gendai Magazine from September of this year reports that Morning Musume members makes around $230,000 American dollars a year (25,000,000 yen)). Some make more, and some make less, but that’s the average. Ayaya makes about $320,000 a year. To a successful American entertainer that may be pocket change, but America is a much larger market than Japan, and our entertainers are waaay overcompensated. The salary man would consider himself damn lucky to be making that much a year, and he probably has a family to support. H!p idols are not slaves working for beans. To be making this kind of money as a young teen is quite an accomplishment.

Monetary compensation aside, what idol work actually consists of cannot be ignored. Dancing and singing, being photographed and interviewed is harder than it looks, but you can’t really think that our salary man is having more fun sitting at his computer all day number crunching. You can’t think that a normal teen flipping burgers at McDonalds eight hours a day for minimum wage has a better job. How about janitors, construction workers, or all the other people working unpleasant, boring, or strenuous jobs? Those people are working no less hard, but there’s no way in hell that they are having more fun. I’m not saying that being an idol is a non-stop party, but I do believe that they genuinely enjoy at least some of what they do. I know from experience that there is not one iota of fun to be found in spending your summer sweating over a deep fryer and waiting on cranky demanding customers for eight+ hours a day. Not only that, all of the above mentioned groups do their work day in and day out almost completely unappreciated. H!P idols are not only appreciated, they’re adored.

Let’s not forget that the girls chose this line of work for themselves. No one forced them to be idols. They chose to audition. Some of them were very young when
they auditioned, and maybe it wasn’t what they expected, but the good news is that those contracts were not signed in blood. They can choose to leave, and some have. Maiha from Berryz is probably a good example. If they are really that overwhelmed/unhappy with idol life, there is nothing stopping them from quitting as soon as their contract expires. They probably won’t be able to work in show business again, but if they were unhappy enough to quit, why would they want to?

People tend to latch on to every negative example out there and project that onto all idols. The young idol mentioned previously in this journal, Yukiko’s, suicide is tragic, but not an excuse to assume that all idols become depressed. She committed suicide, and she also was an idol, but we don’t know if those two were related. They might have been, but she most likely also had some sort of mental illness or issues in her life, or every idol would be committing suicide. Thus far, no one from h!p has, thank God. Another often cited source is Goto Maki’s supposed reason for leaving Hello Project: a combination of health problems and being overworked. That raises some questions though, because there’s no way that she was working half as much as when she was in MM during its heyday and doing everything that came along with that, filming hour long episodes of Hello Morning, doing Pucchi Moni, doing TV dramas, and doing various commercials. The amount of appearances for Morning Musume alone should have been more than she has done with her solo career this year. She only released one album and one single! There was also the 10nen stuff, but Koharu and Risa managed to do that as well as outside anime projects and everything for MM. I’m not saying that Maki wasn’t working hard, but I think the issue was much more her health problems being aggravated by her work than an inhumane schedule. The company gave her plenty of time off to rest when she wasn’t feeling well. She missed most of the 10nen concerts and some of the shows on her own tour as well. For a final example, Kago Ai’s mom has stated that her daughter wanted to quit when she first joined MM, but decided to stick it out for a year. The often ignored continuation of that quote is that after she settled in Ai came to love her job and would often tell her Mom how lucky she felt to have it. As for the ‘problems’ Ai has had post MM, I think her family life was a major contributing factor. Her parents were very very young when they had her, her father was not in her life, she had mentally disabled younger siblings, and her mom did not seem like the most responsible person/ the best role model. Coming from that kind of background, I’d say that some underage smoking does not constitute her becoming a delinquent.

Finally, the intense work schedule of active idoldom isn’t forever. Morning Musume members seldom stay past their early 20’s. When a h!p idol gets a bit older and doesn’t possess all the energy of her teenage years, she is allowed to sit back and take on a much less demanding work schedule while still being gainfully employed. The company doesn’t just use her up and dump her. She’ll appear a couple times a year in concerts, maybe release a solo single, or take on her own projects like a stage play or a drama. Basically, she has the option of remaining in the entertainment industry with a lower commitment level. Some girls don’t choose that path and opt to return to school or perhaps get married post MM, and that’s all good too.

In short, I acknowledge that some h!p idols have very busy lives and that they may feel overwhelmed at times, but I don’t think they should be viewed as circus animals who are kept chained up and whipped until they perform. They’re not the helpless victims of a cruel and inhumane system. They are well compensated, doing temporary and enjoyable work of their own choosing, and they do have the option of leaving if it turns out that idol life is not for them. Therefore, I’m going to go ahead and listen to their music and blog without guilt, and I would advise you to do the same.

Love and Peace,

Celestia