It's Yamaguchi Maho from NGT48. She and her two friends resigned after that and she moved to another talent agency because her previous agency tried to sweep it under the rug.
Where are the parents of these young girls? Aren't they interested in what is happening with their daughters? You would think they would want to protect them as a decent parent would.
Thats why japan suck in this century. 28% population elderly. Peoples stuck in old thinking, too traditional, lack of young talent. Low birth rate destroy everything slowly
@@yogadarmawan3051 it's not just their pay bit how people should work and how they look. Japan has this messed up sort of thing where you have to be very similar to one another. Example would be hair color and often times you would be criticize if it's not the same as others and you have to do all kinds of paperwork to prove your hair is natural and even then people would still look at you critically. Though I heard that's usually bosses or teachers or whatever that are like that and not the younger generation but even then it's very messed up.
@@yogadarmawan3051 there's a lot of innovation if you think about hololive or nijisanji, then again yahoo Japan looks like it's lagging a decade behind the world.
The whole point of the industry is that the idols _are worshiped_ but that's no excuse to treat them like slaves. They can be paid well and treated with dignity without completely shattering the dweebs image of them. And if they don't like the reforms they can take a hike lol.
Personally I don’t care who my celebrity crushes are dating. Sure, the fantasy is always nice, but I know I wouldn’t have a chance and I would rather them be happy with someone than alone and all for “me”.
Yeah what a dumbass thing to do. These SK and JP people need to learn even celebrities have their own personal lives. It like fucking they own these celebrities.
Whatever you guys say, their idol industry is still very successful without changing there “no boyfriend rules”. Japanese otakus like there idol to stay pure so for you non-japanese guys, your words will not affect their culture.
Yeah, it's something I don't want to support. I think this treatment is inhumane, but I can't do much as a foreigner. I just wish that they will slowly change their views and that JP idols evolve to be more free
It takes immense mental and physical strength to survive in the entertainment industry. It seems like it’s the dream of many young girls these days to become an idol or actress but all we see is the glitz and glam and not the real dark side hiding beneath all that fame. I admit I once wanted to become a kpop idol but in the end I know I would never survive in that environment. Please be nice to idols, actors, entertainers etc and don’t be an online bully, they are human too.
As an idol fan myself, i know a lot of negative things behind the smiles and energetic performances my faves show me. I'm a huge Hello!Project fan and if you don't know what it is they are basically like an entertainment circle of jpop girl groups under Up Front Works. Some notable groups are Morning Musume '21, Angerme, Beyooooonds, and many more. Recently there was this "scandal" from one of their artist called Takagi Sayuki (former member of Juice=Juice) who was caught dating Yuuri, a rising male singer-songwriter. Fans were mostly divided with some supporting her relationship and some being an ass who thinks they can control their idols. Ultimately she left the group which saddens majority of the fans because after all the time we bombarded the office to just let it go, she still left. Honestly they said it was her own decision but a lot of the fans were convinced that although she wasn't asked to leave verbally, she probably was made to feel more guilty by "breaking" the trust of the fans. Like tf? trust of the fans for what really? that she stay single and be pure? lmao. I guess it differs from each fans of how they view their idols but i'm seeing positive changes among different idol fandoms. I really believe that by giving freedom to idols and let them shine their own way will make them even more unique and inspiring. Personally i love idols because they just give me so much happiness and they relieve my stress whenever i see them perform or listen to their songs. One thing i really would like for the idol industry to improve is for the talents to earn their rights as humans and stop all the crazy rules. ALSO give them their money too WTF.
Damn, was that the reason Sayuki left Juice=Juice. Fuck me that's bad. Hope she is doing okay and can continue her life. She is so talented. I feel fucked over now.
I fell off of H!P after °C-ute and Buono! disbanded, but I did manage to catch some of the early releases of Juice=Juice. I remember thinking "wow, these girls are so young and so talented!" when I first listened to ther indies singles. It's sad to hear Sayuki had to leave for such a dumb reason. I hope she's doing well wherever she is, and I wish the best to the rest of J=J and the other H!P groups.
Damn I didn't know what was the reason she left. I wish the idols can just be treated like regular people instead of having to give up their childhood/teenage years for an industry that'll replace them in the end. I love Hello!Project (kinda wanned off after Tsunku stepped down) but damn. Things need to change.
When I first saw Idols in Japan I though the target audience was young girls. I like many westerners were shocked at first that the audience was nearly 100% men. Then I realize that men were the target audience. Entertainment industry all over the world sleazy and take advantage of people esp the young.
Yeah, i used to think this was for little girls, because of how frilly the dresses were and how cute the songs are. Alternatively, that it appeals to young men as well... But these are often men way over 20 obsessing over often underage girls. Like wtf
@@Noelciaaa girls idol group target men, boys idol group target women. That's how it is in Asia, this include Japan, Korea, China (Taiwan), and to some extent Southeast Asia.
@@UltimateAlgorithm Uhhh... in Korea there are many girl groups that target girls, the groups with a "cool" not "cute" image. Many have statistics showing the majority of fanbase being female in these cases.
@@Noelciaaa nah, girl crush appeals to men who would rather cool women, since the frills and cute standard is disappearing. Most Blackpink fans I've met were men, and it's similar in Korea.
i was in rock and roll for 10 years and i saw a lot of death and suffering. it's pretty exhausting the pace at which you are expected to produce and perform new material and people deal or dont deal in various ways (mostly not the best ways). it's a pretty tough work/life balance even in the best of circumstances, let alone in an exploitative environment.
@@CloroxBleach-dv7qi It's the rules of the money game, either be slaves, a normal people, or try to grin to the top of the money game, but im not encouraging this behaviour, they need policy to set better lifes for the idols.
It makes me so mad! Or die in terrible accidents that should NOT have happened! Rise and Eun B of Ladies Code who died in a car crash because the guy was driving too fast in a rainstorm. Terrible!
Respect for all the ladies and gentlemen that have the courage to fight in an industry like that. Im not into this scene, but i do wish them all a happy life. Everyone deserves respect and fair treatment.
I do hope this won't lead to further stigma towards Japan, as the West already sees it as a backwards and divisive country, which it's actually not, at least compared to American culture. It's pretty awful in america. I would say industries are just as bad here, and it's just ever since the whole thing of being able to be your own independent internet star, has brought a world of possibilities to celebrities, so they don't need an agency to tell them what to do. It's industry, not Japanese culture, that perpetuates such things. It's pretty much the same in every other country, it's just looks a little different. These days, a lot of American pop stars don't really quote need to apologize, because they don't have advisors that kind of control them the way is described in this video. I guess I just want to also bring the idea to the table that this happens everywhere, since a lot of people like to judge Japan for supposedly being narrow-minded and backwards. This isn't even remotely the case, it's just we like to talk a whole lot more about social issues in Japan than anywhere else, especially in america. Like literally, we will briefly mention the suicide epidemic in america, and then talk about how sad that is, and then flip right over to Japanese culture and stuff because of the suicide epidemic amongst youth there, and then pinpointing the exact reason why, academics. Kids here never get to have that acknowledged, and it's all blamed on social media, and it's not talked about nearly as much as any other issue that's happening around the world. I feel like Americans just don't want to address what's happening in their own country, they want to think it's an elite wonderful country with no issues, or issues that's going to solve themselves. That's not the case, just like Japan or any other country on the other side of the world.
@@otakumangastudios3617 wow, thats a lot, you can easilly summarize it into 'the hollywood is fucked up' or something like that, that will save some time.
@@haze6647 I get that, and just I really want to send a message out there that issues don't just happen in japan, because at least the people in my area seem to believe that. They seem to project all social issues on japan, at the same time basically doing the whole thoughts and prayers thing when it comes to things in america. I just hear a lot of racist claims in other words. People in my area are very defensive it seems, I don't know, maybe it's just me. I just know that I've run into a lot of people who have jumped to conclusions about Japanese culture, or acting like that's only country we should be focusing on in terms of social issues.
Telling you ... Japan’s industry of fame including other countries as well are all connected to the same ties that Hollywood is connected to. Y’all know of the saying sell your soul to be famous.. well it’s literal. The world leaders illuminate thing is definitely real idc I’m convinced cause all famous ppl seem to cry out the same problems in different ways.
I was once at a *new idol convention* in Akihabara. Most of the people there were adult men between 30s-50s. They pay for photos, buy cds...ets. Some of the girls were as young as elementary school lvl. I taught that grade level at the time and talked to a few of them. One girl was jumping around and excited a foreigner was there, she shook my hand. A few creepy looking guys got angry er something cause the girl did that. lol Parents need to stop letting their little girls into these groups. :((
the super-young idol trend is fading in prominence within Tokyo. in fact some of the independent artists are staying involved into their late 20s as performers and independent producers. you still see some more regional idols (locodols) that are younger.
Yeah, I think there is an avenue for the idol genre to be healthy and successful with minimal abuse and the first step in that comes with the management and parents. But people also need to start holding the "fans" accountable. Its okay to be a fan of a girl younger than you as long as you just see her as a "performer and character" that is cute and sings fun songs etc but the whole fantasizing and super judgmental and controlling element is just as much the fault of those fans as anyone else. If that isnt addressed, progress will be limited.
@@Bones12x2 Sadly..almost all of their fans are guys in 30-40. You also have to hold the parents accountable too. They're allowing their daughters to be idolized by creepy guys usually much older than their daughter. People like Akimoto know all too well the $$ idols generate from fans. It's quite sad his thinking. He's married to an ex-idol as well.
In Memory of Celebrities passed away: Daul Kim Jang Ja Yeon Choi Jin Ri Koo Ha Ra Oh In Hye Cha In Ha Hana Kimura Maria Hamasaki Akira Kubudera Miura Haruma Yuko Takeuchi Okada Yukiko
Hana Kimura was spammed to death to the point of depression Later suicide.. Still bothers me the kind of attack they did... Death threat or simple spam
The entertainment industry is like this all over the world, not just Japan or South Korea. The pursuit of money, power, adoration, and fame has a price. Sometimes it's exploitation, loss of freedoms, or poverty. But always blood, sweat and tears. The "starving artist" thing exists for a reason, Harvey Weinstein as well.
@@momogi618 Nope! Los Angeles is not absolutely full of people who failed to break into the entertainment industry. It’s not a monolith. Los Angeles has other industries especially Logistics, Graphic Art, Agriculture (including Cannabis), and Engineering; headed by a stable minority & immigrant leadership (Armenian, Persian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Pakistani, Mexicans, Ethiopian, Somalis, Syrians, Salvadoreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Cubans, etc.). And they still suffer a short labor supply. Those industries want plug-in gaps of their labor supply and the gaps only require high school diploma & will give them a starter salary of $25/hr.
Yes of course, i think japan idols still can saying anything and do anything without being cancel fully But kpop idols if they do something mistake…they will get cancel easily And all the country bash them, cause kpop nowadays so popular, so all world country will bash them
@@redslay164 The main difference is that for Japan, an idol is just a job, while in Korea it's a whole lifestyle. Korean idols have much less freedom. Some companies even control what they should say on public...
Exactly, also K-POP idols are heavily judging by weight & ages while it can be more tolerant in Japan. I’m always wondering why nobody talks about it since K-POP is such a big hit worldwide, and it’s extremely dangerous for health. As an idol fan myself I do love to watch their performances, but I can NEVER agree with the idol companies.(The funny thing is many people do relate to the companies) Actually K-POP has learned a lot from Japanese idols, so they share many problems in common, especially “not treating idols like human”…
@@SataniaSquid I lament the talented performers around the world that were never given a chance after being discovered by agencies because they wouldn't do "the dance". You should google child actors/actresses that have been abused. Not just in Japan but right here in the U.S. The price for fame in this repulsive world is uncanny.
There's a lot of more realism in anime than western people give credit for, it's just that they can't know which parts are unrealistic and which parts are real because they don't know the culture.
I hope the idol culture comes to respect these women/girls as professionals and not just a money making tool. Im glad to hear that young japanese people are beginning to see the world differently and be exposed to ideas. Thanks nobita
Money making tool is the right term because there's a rank chart system kinda thing for these idol group, so it makes them not just to compete with each other but also make them to get the quota. In the end of the day they have to sells their cd, merchandise concert tickets, or whatever since their success is measure by how much money they make. It's just like being a next level marketing sales person job.
@@haze6647 it is quite possible to see someone in a non-sexual way regardless of gender. the idea that no male could be interested in any female artist or performer in any other way than as a sex object seems strange to me on the face of it. i'm asexual though so what do i know...are males typically sexually attracted to every female singer that they enjoy listening to? p.s. i tried to respond to your response but i can't find it in the feed now, although it shows up in my notifications...anyhow thank you for clarifying! i'm not sure if i agree that male singers have primarily only female fans that see them as sex objects but i see what you mean about how most men consider women as having no value other than sexually.
This is why people should be encouraged to break out on their own. "Agencies" are becoming a thing of the past due to the fact that internet platforms offer people the means to publish and promote themselves. Without slimy agents or their shady contracts.
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 Well not just that, you also have to account for the jobs that publishers do. They handle live services, merchandising, and getting live performances set up. If you want an internet equivalent, Good Mythical Morning is what would happen if you took two grown men and turn them into life style celebs and they create their agency.
There should be a ton of lawyers lining up to represent idols who have been mistreated and robbed off of their hard work! We the fans, when we listen to the music and watch the music videos all we think about is the Idols not of who the producers are. So they need to stop treating them unfairly and show them the respect they deserve!
Independent managers should line to assist idol wannabes before signing a contract. Probably lawyers can't do anything, once the robbery is written in it. They become just employees with a crappy contract until they gain some solid name on their own, and still may need to rely on these conglomerates that own from music labels to talent agencies, to TV productions and go on.
EJ I concur, I’m a fan of the performers as well and assumed they received equal recognition, tho I’ve heard the courts haven’t quite made it a fair workplace yet, and in usa performers created guilds or whatever to group up, banding together lol is the only way to balance against corporate greed and corruption because the investors are also quite unaware of how their money is being lazily and unethically used by producers and executives. Transparency is supposed to be a journalist’s purpose so thankfully Norbuto uploaded this video to show us how the industry there is just as dangerous as Los Angeles plastic people.
Wota is the more appropriate term though, at least here where I live. Weaboo is usually more related to Japan pop culture in general. Meanwhile Wota specifically target idol fanatics.
Probably the best way to EVER describe the idol industry done in the first 20 seconds..." The girls are very beautiful and talented, but the industry itself is awful and treats the girls terribly."
Toxic is the perfect word to describe the industry at the moment. With so many girls wanting to be idols, there is plenty of scope for more caring agencies to make money. Hopefully the public will choose to only support the groups that are supported themselves.
I am a huge Idol otaku I admit. That being said, the micro management of the lives of these girls is something I hate. Kicking them out of their groups for smoking a cigarette, even once. Or for having a boyfriend has had truly tragic consequences, such as suicide. I am very glad that their are those who are trying to reform the industry of these bad and harmful practices.
Being an "idol" is just a modern version of geisha. They dance, sing, and learn how to be cute. At the end of the day, they get married to some rich guy who needs arm candy.
Well, actually nope. We fighting for them to at least they could get married/ in love without backlash. They're more like young virgin dancers of a cult. A cult ruled by and for 30-50 years old cis-men.
Marriage and relationships seem to be extremely taboo for the Japanese idols. I think it's more like young girls being put on display for the crusty men to gawk at. Someone for them to project their fantasies on, without repercussions.
@@eldron29-a54 if you try to apply western values and politics that is how it will look like. What the comment said is quite right. It already happening since a long time. Just in different form for different era.
@@anti_fragile There are boy idol groups, as well, so it's not just for "crusty men" to gawk at. Crusty women can gawk too. As for repercussions, that's a western thing. The Japanese aren't prudish victorians.
I think idols are fine in concept; they’re basically young, cute popstars who dance and sing and dress in pretty clothing to adoring fans. When it shows up in anime and stuff I think it’s fine. I like the aesthetic sometimes. But my god I’ve heard how terrible the J and K pop industries are, and as someone who is Japanese I think it’s one of many messed up things in our society that people refuse to recognize as such. But it’s not surprising this happens. I barely follow idols, but I remember when one of them was forced to apologize on TV, crying, with her head shaved, because she was caught dating. That’s like a confession out of 1984, that’s horrifying. And everyone just accepted that. No one thought that was messed up. Just because she dared to fall in love, like, you know, is normal for young adults, that poor girl was treated like a monster. I want to go and hug her and tell her that she did nothing wrong and that she deserved better than that. Alas, she probably just fully believes that she made a mistake and blames herself. Yeah, I know, she signed up for this. But she was a child when she started training. And maybe I can understand an apology. I can maybe understand if she got benched for a while and was reprimanded for breaking contract. If they like, sat her down, told her that this conflicts with her job, and work it out in private, maybe. They sell themselves on a gimmick, fine. But shaving, harassment, public, crying apology, humiliation, that whole shebang? I just feel sorry for her. With male idols I don’t think it’s as strict, but the dating restrictions and other BS is still a thing. But I think they have an incentive to treat male idols less like trash because Johnny’s exists, and Johnny’s from what I understand is a company much more lenient, and it’s most popular group until recently was the currently on hiatus Arashi, who are, like, in their 40s by now. They all still found and find work from their well-established fanbases, and the fact that they’re a bit old hadn’t stopped them from being massive cash cows. But, well, in Japan there’s this empathy on purity for girls so it’s much less viable I guess. I won’t kinkshame people for that, but it gets gross when an entire industry develops around thousands of girls (and boys as well, but especially girls) being subjected to an even worse versions of Japanese business hierarchy and every aspect of their lives being controlled from such an early age, forced to be perfect, pure little angels embodying their most basic character traits. Especially because they’re barely legal adults at oldest. Sure, they might choose it, but I don’t know how this doesn’t break some kind of international human rights law. Songs like “Silent Majority” just make it painfully, depressingly ironic. Like here they are singing about breaking the mold while they signed themselves up to get the totalitarian dictatorship experience for most of their entire youth. It rings hollow and just shows how corporate they are. Western pop stars don’t have it easy and teen idols are accused of being factory-made, but it’s nothing compared to Japan and Korea’s industries (because I hear South Korea is _even worse_ with this). Edit: Oh god did not hear about the assault. I rarely pay attention to news, but sometimes my country just continues to embarrass me. What is wrong with people. At least in the west, if this type of culture existed, even loser simps would be all “How dare someone hurt our queen!!!” and the scumbag would get doxxed by 4chan like within days. I really hope she gets help eventually but I doubt she will. I can’t imagine being her.
It’s similar to the Cos-play festivals, where you have girls surrounded by huge groups of men taking photos, and these girls are kneeling and sitting in the rough gravel surface of the road, it pains me to see this and most of all, no one offers the girls a soft mat to to kneel or sit on.
Well I mean, if I go to a convention I wouldn't remember to bring a damned padding for the cosplayers to kneel on. They can bring their own since it's part of what they do, nobody's stopping them
Like yourself, I think the whole "idol" industry is exploitative, dehumanising and destructive. And the pre-teen idol industry is even worse! Well done for speaking out on this issue!
This is heartbreaking. Taking advantage of an innocent young naive person takes an especially cruel scumbag of a person. I'm glad that there's people like Nobita and these former idols to bring light to such a shady industry and get the word out. This is why I stick to Virtual Comedia- er um, IDOLS! Virtual idols! They seem to be treated quite a bit better than real idols, encouraged to take breaks, put their health first, and make ok money from work that isn't too strenuous, well, unless they choose to stream for long hours, which management doesn't force on them afaik.
Probably the ones with bad contracts are the motion capture actors and voice actors behind these virtual characters. Good for them is they are completely anonymous so they don't have to sell themselves or their relationships.
Unfortunately that's about a 1% chance of that happening, the idol industry survives on taking advantage of very young girls who don't know better. The industry also has ties with the pornographic industry and adult magazine industry, something most people don't even think about. Why do you think as soon as they start getting famous they immediately start making "gravure" videos? But hey as long as people keep watching videos and making the companies more money this will simply keep going forever.
Most idols are produced and for everyone that quits there are 20 more to replace that one. Also due to the shelf-life of idols being rather short, any staying power than any idol might get after being popular quickly fades. This is why so many idols try to get into the "tv industry" as tv-stars once they get a bit older. Idols are produced and while they work hard, they are not actually creating their own content. Giving them a bigger slice of the pie is just dumb. However I do agree that some of the bigger or biggest stars should get more money since they have grown from being an idol into a brand name that promotes the industry as a whole.
@@antoniomorph12 Sounds similar to some of the Hololivers being okay with hentai of their characters being made. I really think the whole industry just needs to die. Even at it's "best", idol culture is just taking advantage of starry-eyed young women, and desperate young men, to make easy profit. That's never going to be healthy in the long term for any culture, even at it's best of times.
@@julosx In her last group (same company as current group and NOT the abusive company), she and other members wrote about half the lyrics... the other half of the songs' lyrics and the composition was outsourced. Not sure if to other parts of the company or to independent composers.
It's just disheartening, if they are making us happy they also deserve to be, really respect the girls who stood up for themselves and everyone trying their best out there
This is sadly the case all over the world. They pressure People into signing contracts and the company always gets most of the money. Even in America. They will pay for the artist to live in a fancy place for image purposes then take the money from their sales to pay it off.
You know, one name comes to when it comes to how toxic the idol industry can be: Yukiko Okada. When I first heard about her story, it honestly broke my heart.
Same here. I became a fan of Yukko many months before discovering her tragic fate. It broke my heart as well. That such a great talent and beautiful soul would be snuffed out at such a young age😔
@@a_maxed_out_handle_of_30_chars She was an idol in the 80s. She tried to kill herself due to the company's abuse, was brought to the hospital by her manager, left the hospital, went to the office and jumped off from the roof. Her death sparked aroud 30 suicides in her fans and it's known now as "Yukiko/Yukko Syndrome"
Again thank you, Nobita-san. You really touch very important subjects, most of which I had even no idea about. This should be shown at schools to every teenager. That'd make them either reconsider if that was their dream, or at least be careful when signing anything in the future.
I became of big fan of J-pop because of anime songs, so I love Idols. But I am completely turn-off by the industry and some of their fans. One stupid thing is the 'no dating allowed'. For me, if my favorite Idol has a boyfriend only means that she is happy, thus will sing more happily. I would be pissed off if she has to stop singing because of that.
@@DrJams Well, it depends. Minami Minegishi from AKB48 Vs another girl from a smaller Idol group will get different treatments. My favorite Idol band is 9nine. One of the girls posted a pic with her boyfriend in 2007 (9nine only became popular in 2010 with the anime StarDriver). She was removed from the group and no big drama about it at that time. It's like she never existed.
@@christophec6201 Miichan's "drama" is blew up not a small part by her own agency who see this as a part of marketing, even if its bad marketing im actually kinda glad that the 48 got their backlash with Maho's case what really horryfing, its 48, one of the biggest idol act in Japan, if the big fishes are treating their idol this bad, how hellish is the situation with Chika idol scenes ? Nobita surely made a good video about it
Just enjoy the product skip the drama, at least that's how I do it. Although I know some people can't do that. For example a person like some art, then he finds out that the artist did some horrible things, suddenly he hates the art. From my observation, a lot of people think like this. For me it doesn't matter, I completely separate the work from the person/organization. If I like it, then I like it, doesn't matter who made it. Although I do like the dark side of industries that I'm interested in. It's just a curiosity I suppose.
Man, I've been watching Nobita for years. He's so much confident now, and his English is miles better than it was then. Just wanna say thanks for sharing with us about Japanese culture. The good and the bad, keep it up!
Man. I have a daughter. Very adorable. Constantly complimented randomly anytime we go out. Been asked if we've ever thought about modeling. And we have, and the answer is no. There's no way I'd ever let a producer get anywhere near my child. At least, not until she's at least 21. There are so many horror stories about children getting into the entertainment industry. Avoid at all costs.
Thank you for this Nobita. I love Jpop and Kpop but I hear these terrible stories about that business. I am so heartbroken about Hana Kimura the Japanese wrestler who was on Terrace House. Sometimes I think Japan is just weird. Not a nice place for people in the Far East.
Japan is weird but every entertainment industry is shitty. Judy Garland was made to have abortions and put on many drugs by her management causing lifelong addiction. Boy groups having lawsuits for being molested, Britney Spears being used and controlled by her dad. It goes on and on. It’s just In the West they give them perceived freedom and then hook you on drugs.
@@WokOverEasy this whole industry has been set on the business model of exploiting pretty, desperate young girls... Money causes people to forget everything they believe.
@@WokOverEasy Right. And Marilyn Munroe as well. Got her hooked on prescription drugs and she died of an overdose. Or that is the official story. And Elvis Presley. Stay off the drink and drugs and keep track of the money being paid and you might survive in show business. Movies and music made years ago is still making money today. I hope the kids and grandkids of the artists make money from what their family did.
I am obsessed with Asian idols in general, but, I must admit, that the rules the idols must follow are one the most horrible things I have ever heard, I really feel bad for these idols who just want to make people like me smile but have to also endure the tyrannical and corrupt industry, I want the idols to be happy, all the fans want them to be happy, and I dream of a future where the Idol Industry will give most of the power and decisions to the idols themselves, I hope Japanese people keep this in mind come October 22nd
What's even worse is countries are copying this, like Korea and K-Pop, when no nation should allow this to happen to their youth. The issue is that this ends up being preferrable to the education system (college), in Korea at least, since you can at least be famous and popular.
@@alext3811 The good thing is that if Japan decides to finally change the industry to give the idols more independence, the other countries might follow
@@moisesnunez7096 idol treatment in Japan is the reflection of their employee treatment in general. The employer, in this case agency, exploit their employees aka idols for maximum profit. Corporations in Japan have tremendous power over their employee. If there are going to be a reform, it unlikely start from idol industry. Instead it'll likely need to start from a complete work regulation reform.
@@UltimateAlgorithmLet me put it this way, if the opposition was better organized from the start and had been elected more often, Japan would be a different society today
Thanks for this. This is a real difficult problem that needs more exposure, IMO. Westeners tend to see the bright side and because most of the people are not really knowable about show business, they tend to ignore the bad things or think that the things work like in western society. That couldn't be more wrong. I my eyes, the talent agencies in Japan are very ruthless and cold towards their acts. In a sense they are just a disposable product when compared to western counterparts.
I was totally shocked to see all these magazines and young girls dressing up with short skirts. I don't understand how this is normal and worry it has been attracting paedophiles to the country. I was also shocked to see all these love hotels. A side of the culture which I won't be able get used to. Anyway, I'm glad you made this video and I hope this aspect of culture changes or at least that nobody is exploited and abused by it.
@@civagiarn I'm not with you. The western counterparts are just as skimpy clothed or in some cases even worse. It's a bit too holier that thou -attitude to start pointing out such things. I bet you just aren't used to sight variation of what is exposed in the public plases. I'm not worried at all about those idols being "too exposed". Yeah there are some skimpy clothes and stuff, but there's also usually much more clothing than in your average european/american teenage magazine. Also there are always parents involved in dealing with minors, so the agencies cannot go full pedo as easilly. The thing that should be worrying is the fact that the agecies use girls enthusiasm to sign the bad contracts and so on. The true exlpoitation lives in the contract terms.
This is why I love Band-Maid's success story. (Highly recommend their music.) Band-Maid started with a former underground idol and highly skilled musicians forming a rock band. None of them were famous. Earlier other people wrote music for them and the band kept pushing to write their own music, which kept getting turned down. Band-Maid currently composes, writes lyrics and even produces their own music now, which sounds lightyears better than what they were given. They're inspirational and getting more popular. Nobita are you interested in interviewing them? lol.
@@cnordegren That wasn't the case. She wasn't too old at the time (Age 21-22). She was just in an underground idol group so they weren't well known and that was the best gig she could get. Also to be fair, the Miku we know now is not the same as Miku in 2013 when it comes to skill and experience. As much as people like her, realistically it took her years to improve. Honestly, that goes for all the members of Band-Maid and they're still pushing themselves to sharpen and expand their skills to this day.
@@xPixelDreams Don't give up hope! They're getting a bit more well known so they may come to your country someday! Yes, I never get tired of their music too.
Honestly, that's an issue shared by most if not all developed countries. There's a very toxic side to the Idol industry in Japan but these aren't all bad either. And I think it's getting better every year.
Eimi Fukada, a current AV star in her own UA-cam channel, still discussed the same thing about underground idol industry...and it is really dark. In fact, she said that some of its boss was quite sociopath
It's just as Way from Crayon Pop described it in her Asian Boss interview. I feel I have to shine light on the other side of the coin. What I mean is the industry is toxic to its performers, but some fans don't help the situation. First of all there's a reason they're called "Idols". Whether it's a Japanese or Korean group just look the comment sections and you'll always see people saying this person is a queen or goddess. To be frank I find it disturbing, unhealthy, and needless to say it's idol worship. Hence why I try to call them performers and not idols. In addition the good ole arsehole netizens can be a problem with their insults and very direct comments. As stated in the video they can contribute to a performers suicide.
tbh kpop fans are the most toxic rather than fans in japan idol.but yeah both are same tho. its so disgusting idk why there is such a low life human being doing such a bad thing like that.
@@goldenboy6667 I don't know as much about the Japanese fanbase, but I do get the impression that the Korean one is worse. It's cliché but true nonetheless that people online are naturally more outspoken, and therefore can more vile. Then of course you have the ever annoying bots and trolls. People also really need to tone down the idol worship, and remember we're all just human. Not to be rude but I find it pathetic and creepy at times. Saying someone is a queen or a "literal goddess".
Very much agree, idolization is wrong and bad, and internet doofus, yea their itchy fingers contributed a lot too. We must be careful with what we say anywhere anytime. Im guilty too, not this idol stuff but in other stuff too.
@@Jekyll08 Yeah, something is wrong with you if you call someone things like that unironically. As a K-Pop fan myself, I've never believed that my faves were more than good people. Even that is questionable with all the bullying accusations (becoming like MeToo but for school bullying).
@@Jekyll08 I used to be a fan of Kpop songs and not the idols but the toxicity of popular groups were so annoying and I actually lost respect to those industry not identifying the problem caused by the fans just so they might lose the fanbase Kpop runs on face value meaning the idol aesthetics sell more than the songs could ever since atleast 70% of the people listening doesn't know korean and can't really understand the song If not for the MV where the face value plays a major role The idol worship is seriously Messed up and I've seen crazy shits due to that Choosing to ignore that problem just so it means good business is disturbing since it would mean that there is no measure that would ever be taken I don't ever think I would ever again get into Kpop and recently I've been noticing my international friends doing the same it's just a while before that goes out of existence for good The idol in Japan is considerably better In terms of toxicity internationally but inside japan there are perverts who should be kept in check
What makes this more sad is that many of these groups don't receive a lot of attention. Like, my favorite J-Pop idol group, Especia, were great performers and had even better music, and I'm sure they did okay while they were together, but I believe they, as well as some select others, deserved a bigger crowd. They were so good. Maybe these underground idols make a slice-of-life anime OP, and that's about it.
Same with one of my favourite groups ONEPIXCEL. Their music and their dance moves are amazing but they announced they will be disbanding in June. Freaking heartbroken.
especia was too good for this world... it sucks their style didn't catch on, i absolutely love their music. Some of the members still make really good j pop and city pop to this day.
@@Mopantsu with male idols I agree since it's only recent that their influence in media started to decrease & more male groups started to emmerge. For female, its more complicated since the market is too satured. Only big franchises gets the public attention & do well. They have "better" management too. The underground or chikas on the other hand can only rely on small audience which is mostly made of the worst type of wotas out there. Many chikas idols are run by greedy pigs & yakuza. The decent ones have less budget & so cant sustain from the very small audience. Since those wotas have specific taste, anything unorthodox would be a gamble. But sometimes those gamble pays well. Big franchise like hello!project, 48G and wack(somehow) are the exemple because they managed to reach the general audience. Because of that, they're still staying afloat even after their decline
Gotta praise Nobita for telling us the truth. I have known about the Jpop and Kpop industries before I became a fan, but there are still so many ways this can be reformed. Korea is specially hectic and stressful, as netizens are even more critical of their perfect image of idols. Nevertheless, I am still a fan of idol groups and want to see their performances because in any country, boys and girls have dreams of singing and dancing or being famous. It is a unique form of entertainment but thats all it is, entertainment. I am not one of those weirdos who spend their whole day checking their favorite idols activities. I got shits to take, people to see.
@@dot2382 I'd say it's normal. OIf you see them for hours and hours and spend money on them and it becomes a problem with sleeping and work for example, then I would say that's obsessive.
@@jacquesmesrine3244 oh I'm still not that obssesed i guess would try not being that since it can be terrible and to plain respect the idols cause they're also humans
Too be honest, I always felt that there was something wrong with group dancers, especially kpop dancers. It was too perfect for me and plus, they kinda don't have much difference between each person. Nobita is right about jpop harsh environment is similar to kpops environment and that more idols should be able to say something.
I still have my cousin's contract photo for this idol thing and actually if you have seen a contract for idol activities in Japan you will never notice the hidden agenda and the tricks unless you read it at least 5 times, at first you will think its clean but if you look closer in the contract some will say. "The agency will provide the necessary things for your idol activities and also some of the fees" something like that but it will not say what kind of "THINGS" the agency will actually provide and what are not and they will put it between the most important information and the sugar coated information like how many memorable experience you will make with the other members if you join in or you will meet so many interesting people if you join in. So it will overshadow the sentence. They will always put Vague answers in the contract and if you're still a 18-19 years old naive High school student you will never notice the tricks and will be easily deceived
I remember about 5 or 6 years ago a Former Jpop idol who moved here to Canada made news when she broke her silence on the industry and how she and her band mates were treated. The production companies in Japan how managed Jpop idols banded together and did their best to slander her and discredit her. In the end the furor died down and it was learned the her former management company paid her and her former band mates a significant sum to just go away. It’s shameful how idols are treated and taken advantage of.
1 thing I don't get is, why so many idols in Japan(female idols) still active or after graduated, take/become gravure model/photo?. Are they have to do that or it's included in their contracts. It's a seriously sad culture.
@@muajin Nobita is not a weeb or westoweeb. He corrected it because people are making themselves an anti to their culture. You see, I've researched about this meaning of "weeb". Because the word "weeb" was used to describe people who like something Japanese (example: anime, cosplay, ramen), but ends up being an anti to the Japanese culture, completely insulting it. I may like anime, but I still treat with respect and care to the Japanese and their culture. No offense, though.
There is a song called “Lonely in Tokyo” by the artists Mirei which i think is a song definitely worth listening to. Not only does the song sound great with its tune but it’s the lyrics that really send a message to the listeners. About the side we don’t see or hear from in the music industry with idols or pop stars in general. I think it’s maybe worth a mention and should give it a listen to. If not already. Great video.
In all countries, performing artists have to spend a lot of time and often their own money on training. If their act is signed and then successful, then they get paid. Contracts are generally 5-7 years anywhere, as the company signing the act invests considerable time and money into marketing/recording/tours etc. Japanese idols actually have it relatively easy: structured training and rehearsal space is paid for and they can train after school (while Western performing arts schools shorten the academic day to make way room for vocational training). Yes, it's hard work. That's life. It's high risk, high reward, and the most successful Japanese idols are multi-millionaires. Most disappear after a few years and have to get a normal job, just like performing arts anywhere else. Finally, suicide is endemic in Japanese and Korean culture, not just the pop industry.
@@Batkenpre it is much harder in america to become a popular musician than Japan. Love Live and Idoly Pride VAs are all newcomers you never heard before, but they have huge companies backing them up. Even if they don't get a hit musical career, they easily get roles as voice actors. That isn't the case for America since most child actors have to move to either music or acting, both of which are hard. Successful examples are like Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas started their careers at extremely extremely young ages, and that is how they got became so successful. Idols can start late in their career and make it.
@@501clonetrooper that is true it's also one of the many reasons why American child stars usually go crazy at some point if anything Japanese idols have alil bit to easy compared to American idols
Abusive stuffs exist yes! But then I think it's also differs from managements to managements . Good to very good agencies exist and their idols mostly tend to reach popularity faster than most and some are really well-paid too. But then bad agencies also provoke problems and most of them are from the underground idol scene where they don't have much of a budget at hands and not only them but the idols also have to struggle on their own.
This is why I prefer vtubers. It's a lot more lax, less predatory, the idols have more autonomy and they seem to earn more as well. Plus they are better protected from stalkers. Seems like the revolution the idol industry needed.
Oh, and this is just scratching the surface. Not only the companies are bad; the fans are awful too. Online harassment and real-life stalking are huge problems in Japan's entertainment industry, and I've seen many idols be either driven out of their career or outright driven to suicide from sheer abuse from their own "fans".
I still believe the japanese are more respectful than what we have. Most of these girls live in big cities, most likely Tokyo and a hundred of people probably recognize them everyday. Meanwhile our « stars » have to hide in the Californian hills in a mansion with personal security because they’re so fucking done with fans and paparazzi.
The absolute irony is that western idol & anime fans have been yelling into the wind about poor treatment of idols for so many years before it even became a mainstream discussion. He's calling out the same people who fucking popularized this as a known issue in the first place. Fucking hate how that term gets weaponized.
I had a Japanese Female friend from a Ramen Restaurant and this I would say is not even limited to Japan and yes this is in American and I had a feeling that this type of this was happening. She was not an idol by any means, but when I asked her out, she mentioned that the management kept her from doing so. Which I found odd and I still worry about my friend, even if I am in a relationship.
The pop industry in the UK and USA was just the same through the 90s and 00s (and most likely for decades before that as well) but Japan and Korea have taken the idea to a more extreme level.
@@doraemonpawnz Let me clarify to *hustlebwns* and *doraemopawns* right now. If she mentioned that she was "not interested in a relationship", do you really think I would be talking about this now? I am also in a relationship where I am with a rocker chick and I do work for bands every now and then. I am saying what I saw was out of place is that she mentioned that her boss was not to keen on her dating anyone and I would understand in the workplace, but she mentioned in general without using the typical excuse. As far as I know, she's is a friend of mine and nothing more than that.
@@mememaster147 Yeah and from my thoughts are you can take the man out of Japan, but you can't take the Japan out of the man in this case and and it might not be the case, but during the time the management back then, it's was like there was something off about the hostesses in a "worried look" kind of way, because they way back when looked like they were worried about making a mistake than anything.
@hustlebwnz True enough, but it still bothers me, because it was a "No" in some way, fine. However I felt eyes on me like a painting while having my meal during the time after I asked and I can tell you I didn't show up for months after that. Let's just say, I can handle rejection and I just move on, but the moment I feel a dark presence directed at me, it took a management change before I came back to eat. Like imagine any anime where a character gives someone the "Evil Eye" out of anger and the character getting it gets the chills and that's what I felt.
Ms. Kotobano is so inspirative. She's first female who produce a female idol group I know, after her terrible experience as an idol. Stay strong and keep struggling, Kotobano-san!
The not have a boyfriend "rule" in the industry didn't exist in the early 1980s to mid-1980s. It is relevantly modern. In fact some idols from my understanding openly dated each other around that time. However I feel due to controversies and very unfortunate tragedies the industry decided to take a more hardline stance on it. Which is very disappointing as it treats these women like objects rather than talented performers. I do hope in the near future Japan changes there stance on this and idols promote and encourage their fans to date and explore love for themselves. Japan needs that.
I can see the appeal on idols, but after finding out what they don't want you to know, I've been totally against the Idol industry. But now that former idol Ms. Kotobano is changing things by becoming a producer herself with her own Idol unit, I can finally SIMP worry free! I'll do my best to make them succeed.
This may be difficult to do, depending on the state of labor rights in Japan, but I wonder if an industrial union like the IWW could help these girls achieve better recognition and workers rights. They clearly put in a lot of labor out of love, so it's sad that they are so severely exploited.
This is so sad! I just got off learning about the Pleasure Squad from North Korea (which of course is 100x worse), but seeing how the entertainment industries is doing almost the same thing in our own free society is so utterly disgraceful. At least we can voice our own opinions. At the same time, I hope good changes can come for these girls. I am really happy for Aya-san :)
Yo you are speaking facts around the world Im not a fan of weaboos myself or worshipping a human we are all made to do something on the this earth as a person facts
Nobita, thank you for your insightful information. Idol groups need to be treated respectfully. I am glad that that former idol star is helping to make things better.
I personally support 2D idol franchises such as LoveLive and Idolish7 much more than the 3D idols, these franchises introduced me to their seiyuus and now I enjoy animes with these seiyuus a lot more. I also watch Hololive clips and livestreams when I have free time.
Hm, as an alt/underground idol fan, i didn't really suspect anything bad happening because members were allowed to graduate due to injury, or raising a kid. And there are self produced groups, but ig they'd still be screwed over by some managment. Kinda sucks when those groups do unique stuff like fuse idol with prog, or trancecore.
"A japanese pop star was assaulted, then publicly apologized for "causing trouble" by speaking out"
Is this the real world
Japan is all about maintaining the harmony, and the customer is king no matter what they did you.
It's Yamaguchi Maho from NGT48. She and her two friends resigned after that and she moved to another talent agency because her previous agency tried to sweep it under the rug.
Where are the parents of these young girls? Aren't they interested in what is happening with their daughters? You would think they would want to protect them as a decent parent would.
We have many cultural differences across the world where one cannot comprehend it. Leave it as is and don’t criticize if you are not in that society.
This is Japan, where women are still second-class citizens.
It’s cool that this girl decided to continue in this industry and became a manager, she’ll treat her idols well
For real, what a power move. I'd trust a boss like that.
Good for her time for some change against the bullshit they shouldn't face
I hope so
Anyone working in the Entertainment Business is actually one of the most toxic vocation in the world.
@Kwame brown and Jim cornette burner account uh obviously no, you don’t always have to think like that
In a sense, idols are treated like animators in Japan. It's sad but both industries need change
facts, the big difference is one is a public slave the other is a private slave... so pick up your poison
Thats why japan suck in this century. 28% population elderly. Peoples stuck in old thinking, too traditional, lack of young talent. Low birth rate destroy everything slowly
tru for the amount of hard work they put in the way they are getting treated is not fair
@@yogadarmawan3051 it's not just their pay bit how people should work and how they look. Japan has this messed up sort of thing where you have to be very similar to one another. Example would be hair color and often times you would be criticize if it's not the same as others and you have to do all kinds of paperwork to prove your hair is natural and even then people would still look at you critically. Though I heard that's usually bosses or teachers or whatever that are like that and not the younger generation but even then it's very messed up.
@@yogadarmawan3051 there's a lot of innovation if you think about hololive or nijisanji, then again yahoo Japan looks like it's lagging a decade behind the world.
the problems are the fans too, if they stopped worshipping them, then the industry would be forced to take actions
Good idea, but reasoning with people who seem to listen but to their crotch seems quite inefficient.
How is one to convince them?
Westerners can't even stop themselves from feeding the beasts that are Onlyfans and streamgirls, yet think Idol Otaku can be reasoned with?
The whole point of the industry is that the idols _are worshiped_ but that's no excuse to treat them like slaves. They can be paid well and treated with dignity without completely shattering the dweebs image of them. And if they don't like the reforms they can take a hike lol.
Too many simps
KPop stans shaking rn
Personally I don’t care who my celebrity crushes are dating. Sure, the fantasy is always nice, but I know I wouldn’t have a chance and I would rather them be happy with someone than alone and all for “me”.
Yeah what a dumbass thing to do. These SK and JP people need to learn even celebrities have their own personal lives. It like fucking they own these celebrities.
Exactly. This dumbass crazy fans need to learn their oshi/kami/bias(or whatever) are humans like us.
Whatever you guys say, their idol industry is still very successful without changing there “no boyfriend rules”. Japanese otakus like there idol to stay pure so for you non-japanese guys, your words will not affect their culture.
@@shun6284 Pure?? Does having boyfriend not make them pure?
Incel mentality
so its "perfect blue" all along.
The second season of Aggretsuko also showed this underworld of Idols
Yeah, it's something I don't want to support. I think this treatment is inhumane, but I can't do much as a foreigner.
I just wish that they will slowly change their views and that JP idols evolve to be more free
@@Dominik-K similar to the one in Korea. I hope they calm down from their idol-hype and obsessive beauty.
a man of culture
Aw fk
It takes immense mental and physical strength to survive in the entertainment industry. It seems like it’s the dream of many young girls these days to become an idol or actress but all we see is the glitz and glam and not the real dark side hiding beneath all that fame. I admit I once wanted to become a kpop idol but in the end I know I would never survive in that environment. Please be nice to idols, actors, entertainers etc and don’t be an online bully, they are human too.
The funny thing is some of those who were training and didn't make it now have their own UA-cam channels.
I follow them here and on their websites.
Humans have free will - "idols' do not.
@@PlasmaBurns its called modern slavery
such a wise avocado *^*)
You dont have to go so far in looking beautiful if the daily effort for it isnt for self-love but only public impressions.
She quit being an idol but then created an idol group herself. Hopefully she is giving a better treatment to her girls.
Plot twist: she's the main antagonist
I'm more hoping her past companies not go after her new group.
@@fatman1899 Rino Sashihara's own group is with SONY, and given SONY nowadays, they'll use Aniplex as a marketing vehicle for their own artists.
@Jonathan Fakhoury Dancing PS5 🤣
@@issackaiser LMAO
As an idol fan myself, i know a lot of negative things behind the smiles and energetic performances my faves show me. I'm a huge Hello!Project fan and if you don't know what it is they are basically like an entertainment circle of jpop girl groups under Up Front Works. Some notable groups are Morning Musume '21, Angerme, Beyooooonds, and many more.
Recently there was this "scandal" from one of their artist called Takagi Sayuki (former member of Juice=Juice) who was caught dating Yuuri, a rising male singer-songwriter. Fans were mostly divided with some supporting her relationship and some being an ass who thinks they can control their idols. Ultimately she left the group which saddens majority of the fans because after all the time we bombarded the office to just let it go, she still left. Honestly they said it was her own decision but a lot of the fans were convinced that although she wasn't asked to leave verbally, she probably was made to feel more guilty by "breaking" the trust of the fans. Like tf? trust of the fans for what really? that she stay single and be pure? lmao. I guess it differs from each fans of how they view their idols but i'm seeing positive changes among different idol fandoms.
I really believe that by giving freedom to idols and let them shine their own way will make them even more unique and inspiring. Personally i love idols because they just give me so much happiness and they relieve my stress whenever i see them perform or listen to their songs. One thing i really would like for the idol industry to improve is for the talents to earn their rights as humans and stop all the crazy rules. ALSO give them their money too WTF.
@DarkMoonAngel49 I agree. Fans, especially mega fans, need to realize idols are people too.
Damn, was that the reason Sayuki left Juice=Juice. Fuck me that's bad.
Hope she is doing okay and can continue her life. She is so talented. I feel fucked over now.
I fell off of H!P after °C-ute and Buono! disbanded, but I did manage to catch some of the early releases of Juice=Juice. I remember thinking "wow, these girls are so young and so talented!" when I first listened to ther indies singles. It's sad to hear Sayuki had to leave for such a dumb reason. I hope she's doing well wherever she is, and I wish the best to the rest of J=J and the other H!P groups.
Damn I didn't know what was the reason she left.
I wish the idols can just be treated like regular people instead of having to give up their childhood/teenage years for an industry that'll replace them in the end. I love Hello!Project (kinda wanned off after Tsunku stepped down) but damn. Things need to change.
Their lives would be so much better if all their fans were nice and supportive.
When I first saw Idols in Japan I though the target audience was young girls. I like many westerners were shocked at first that the audience was nearly 100% men. Then I realize that men were the target audience. Entertainment industry all over the world sleazy and take advantage of people esp the young.
Yeah, i used to think this was for little girls, because of how frilly the dresses were and how cute the songs are. Alternatively, that it appeals to young men as well... But these are often men way over 20 obsessing over often underage girls. Like wtf
@@Noelciaaa girls idol group target men, boys idol group target women. That's how it is in Asia, this include Japan, Korea, China (Taiwan), and to some extent Southeast Asia.
@@UltimateAlgorithm Uhhh... in Korea there are many girl groups that target girls, the groups with a "cool" not "cute" image. Many have statistics showing the majority of fanbase being female in these cases.
@@Noelciaaa are they also doing plastic surgeries? From what I understand, Korea have much stricter beauty standard than Japan.
@@Noelciaaa nah, girl crush appeals to men who would rather cool women, since the frills and cute standard is disappearing. Most Blackpink fans I've met were men, and it's similar in Korea.
so sad that so many of these talented people have been driven to suicide because of the industry
It is
wasnt this the same stuff boybands like the backstreet boys went through too? it seems common in every country
i was in rock and roll for 10 years and i saw a lot of death and suffering. it's pretty exhausting the pace at which you are expected to produce and perform new material and people deal or dont deal in various ways (mostly not the best ways). it's a pretty tough work/life balance even in the best of circumstances, let alone in an exploitative environment.
@@CloroxBleach-dv7qi It's the rules of the money game, either be slaves, a normal people, or try to grin to the top of the money game, but im not encouraging this behaviour, they need policy to set better lifes for the idols.
It makes me so mad! Or die in terrible accidents that should NOT have happened!
Rise and Eun B of Ladies Code who died in a car crash because the guy was driving too fast in a rainstorm. Terrible!
Respect for all the ladies and gentlemen that have the courage to fight in an industry like that. Im not into this scene, but i do wish them all a happy life. Everyone deserves respect and fair treatment.
I do hope this won't lead to further stigma towards Japan, as the West already sees it as a backwards and divisive country, which it's actually not, at least compared to American culture. It's pretty awful in america. I would say industries are just as bad here, and it's just ever since the whole thing of being able to be your own independent internet star, has brought a world of possibilities to celebrities, so they don't need an agency to tell them what to do. It's industry, not Japanese culture, that perpetuates such things. It's pretty much the same in every other country, it's just looks a little different. These days, a lot of American pop stars don't really quote need to apologize, because they don't have advisors that kind of control them the way is described in this video. I guess I just want to also bring the idea to the table that this happens everywhere, since a lot of people like to judge Japan for supposedly being narrow-minded and backwards. This isn't even remotely the case, it's just we like to talk a whole lot more about social issues in Japan than anywhere else, especially in america. Like literally, we will briefly mention the suicide epidemic in america, and then talk about how sad that is, and then flip right over to Japanese culture and stuff because of the suicide epidemic amongst youth there, and then pinpointing the exact reason why, academics. Kids here never get to have that acknowledged, and it's all blamed on social media, and it's not talked about nearly as much as any other issue that's happening around the world. I feel like Americans just don't want to address what's happening in their own country, they want to think it's an elite wonderful country with no issues, or issues that's going to solve themselves. That's not the case, just like Japan or any other country on the other side of the world.
@@otakumangastudios3617 Yes, but the idol industry was this videos topic. Therefore the "be well" wishes go there this time ♡
@@otakumangastudios3617 wow, thats a lot, you can easilly summarize it into 'the hollywood is fucked up' or something like that, that will save some time.
@@haze6647 I get that, and just I really want to send a message out there that issues don't just happen in japan, because at least the people in my area seem to believe that. They seem to project all social issues on japan, at the same time basically doing the whole thoughts and prayers thing when it comes to things in america. I just hear a lot of racist claims in other words. People in my area are very defensive it seems, I don't know, maybe it's just me. I just know that I've run into a lot of people who have jumped to conclusions about Japanese culture, or acting like that's only country we should be focusing on in terms of social issues.
Telling you ... Japan’s industry of fame including other countries as well are all connected to the same ties that Hollywood is connected to. Y’all know of the saying sell your soul to be famous.. well it’s literal. The world leaders illuminate thing is definitely real idc I’m convinced cause all famous ppl seem to cry out the same problems in different ways.
I was once at a *new idol convention* in Akihabara. Most of the people there were adult men between 30s-50s. They pay for photos, buy cds...ets. Some of the girls were as young as elementary school lvl. I taught that grade level at the time and talked to a few of them. One girl was jumping around and excited a foreigner was there, she shook my hand. A few creepy looking guys got angry er something cause the girl did that. lol Parents need to stop letting their little girls into these groups. :((
the super-young idol trend is fading in prominence within Tokyo. in fact some of the independent artists are staying involved into their late 20s as performers and independent producers. you still see some more regional idols (locodols) that are younger.
Yeah, I think there is an avenue for the idol genre to be healthy and successful with minimal abuse and the first step in that comes with the management and parents. But people also need to start holding the "fans" accountable. Its okay to be a fan of a girl younger than you as long as you just see her as a "performer and character" that is cute and sings fun songs etc but the whole fantasizing and super judgmental and controlling element is just as much the fault of those fans as anyone else. If that isnt addressed, progress will be limited.
@@Bones12x2 Sadly..almost all of their fans are guys in 30-40. You also have to hold the parents accountable too. They're allowing their daughters to be idolized by creepy guys usually much older than their daughter. People like Akimoto know all too well the $$ idols generate from fans. It's quite sad his thinking. He's married to an ex-idol as well.
@@DJ_Black_Tourmaline AKB has groups like SKE etc that have younger aged idols. I
@@Bones12x2 yes please check out Girls2 for a healthy example of this model.
In Memory of Celebrities passed away:
Daul Kim
Jang Ja Yeon
Choi Jin Ri
Koo Ha Ra
Oh In Hye
Cha In Ha
Hana Kimura
Maria Hamasaki
Akira Kubudera
Miura Haruma
Yuko Takeuchi
Okada Yukiko
May I add Okada Yukiko?
Hana Kimura was spammed to death to the point of depression
Later suicide.. Still bothers me the kind of attack they did... Death threat or simple spam
How do you know all this? Just curious
@@raistlin906 yup
Hana's demise was like a blow below the belt to me. A promising 2nd gen wrestler... Now she's gone!
It's been a year and still hurts!
Is it just me or is Japan forcing everyone to keep silent about these issues, not just the pop idol industry?
It's because they don't want their companies to have a bad reputation because that can affect their ratings.
Almost everyone wants to be famous and rich, and almost everyone ends up poor and unknown.
not everyone makes it big. no matter how hard the effort they put in. The world is pretty messed up.
I don’t want either.
I just want to be famous and known lol rich well idk
@@cockatooinsunglasses7492 what
The entertainment industry is like this all over the world, not just Japan or South Korea. The pursuit of money, power, adoration, and fame has a price. Sometimes it's exploitation, loss of freedoms, or poverty. But always blood, sweat and tears. The "starving artist" thing exists for a reason, Harvey Weinstein as well.
And in politics. The Harvey Weinstein of where I live, I met him several times during elections. CREEP!
It's all about making money and those artist are the tools for making money.
Sad, money and greed, people get forgotten....
Can anyone ask the unlucky Japanese idols who left their bands behind?
@@SlapstickGenius23 I don't think that's true.
I have lived in L.A all my life and you see this all the time. The reality is very few people become famous and the ones who do rarely stay that way..
Are you in the show business?
@@michaelrmurphy2734 L.A is full of people who failed to become an actress.
@@momogi618 Can only imagine the amount of people in that meat grinder.
@@RealCheemsJr. The meat grinder that keeps happily turning with business as usual.
@@momogi618
Nope! Los Angeles is not absolutely full of people who failed to break into the entertainment industry. It’s not a monolith. Los Angeles has other industries especially Logistics, Graphic Art, Agriculture (including Cannabis), and Engineering; headed by a stable minority & immigrant leadership (Armenian, Persian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Pakistani, Mexicans, Ethiopian, Somalis, Syrians, Salvadoreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Cubans, etc.). And they still suffer a short labor supply. Those industries want plug-in gaps of their labor supply and the gaps only require high school diploma & will give them a starter salary of $25/hr.
This is a lot like KPOP and not enough people talk about it.
Exactly.
Yes of course, i think japan idols still can saying anything and do anything without being cancel fully
But kpop idols if they do something mistake…they will get cancel easily
And all the country bash them, cause kpop nowadays so popular, so all world country will bash them
@@redslay164 The main difference is that for Japan, an idol is just a job, while in Korea it's a whole lifestyle. Korean idols have much less freedom. Some companies even control what they should say on public...
Exactly, also K-POP idols are heavily judging by weight & ages while it can be more tolerant in Japan. I’m always wondering why nobody talks about it since K-POP is such a big hit worldwide, and it’s extremely dangerous for health.
As an idol fan myself I do love to watch their performances, but I can NEVER agree with the idol companies.(The funny thing is many people do relate to the companies) Actually K-POP has learned a lot from Japanese idols, so they share many problems in common, especially “not treating idols like human”…
@@redslay164 My question is, what issues happened in Kpop that you believed wasn't worth being canceled?
Man she’s a real life hero to those idols. She’s the true idol.
I didn't realize that the anime Perfect Blue was so accurate.
@aXsEpSiLoN I always felt on a very subtle level that there was a strong element of truth to that movie. Now I know that my intuition was spot on.
@@SataniaSquid I lament the talented performers around the world that were never given a chance after being discovered by agencies because they wouldn't do "the dance". You should google child actors/actresses that have been abused. Not just in Japan but right here in the U.S. The price for fame in this repulsive world is uncanny.
@@SataniaSquid Oshi no Ko has been an amazing manga so far. Hopefully the authors keep the same level of writing until the series ends.
It is very accurate
There's a lot of more realism in anime than western people give credit for, it's just that they can't know which parts are unrealistic and which parts are real because they don't know the culture.
I hope the idol culture comes to respect these women/girls as professionals and not just a money making tool. Im glad to hear that young japanese people are beginning to see the world differently and be exposed to ideas. Thanks nobita
there are many indie groups to support. nobody cares about AKB anymore. it's been almost a year since they put out a single.
Money making tool is the right term because there's a rank chart system kinda thing for these idol group, so it makes them not just to compete with each other but also make them to get the quota. In the end of the day they have to sells their cd, merchandise concert tickets, or whatever since their success is measure by how much money they make. It's just like being a next level marketing sales person job.
You mean see them as 3d anime girl avatar on youtube?
Forgot, some of them are 2d
@@haze6647 it is quite possible to see someone in a non-sexual way regardless of gender. the idea that no male could be interested in any female artist or performer in any other way than as a sex object seems strange to me on the face of it. i'm asexual though so what do i know...are males typically sexually attracted to every female singer that they enjoy listening to?
p.s. i tried to respond to your response but i can't find it in the feed now, although it shows up in my notifications...anyhow thank you for clarifying! i'm not sure if i agree that male singers have primarily only female fans that see them as sex objects but i see what you mean about how most men consider women as having no value other than sexually.
"Now this might offend many people, especially weaboos."
^^^ This is what I love about you Nobita.
I'm weaboo and wasn't offended.
@@pandemonium2431....
Don't worry bro, sometimes we really need to understand the "behind the scenes" and in reality it really hurts.
We all love Nobita!
I don't think weaboos know idols of jpop other than kyari or akb XD.
This is why people should be encouraged to break out on their own.
"Agencies" are becoming a thing of the past due to the fact that internet platforms offer people the means to publish and promote themselves. Without slimy agents or their shady contracts.
Hooray for the internet!! It puts your work in front of millions of people without much fuss or expense.
@@gwillis01 this is not true you need effort to advertise, or capital for paid ads. Stiil it 1000x times better than joining these agency system
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 Well not just that, you also have to account for the jobs that publishers do. They handle live services, merchandising, and getting live performances set up. If you want an internet equivalent, Good Mythical Morning is what would happen if you took two grown men and turn them into life style celebs and they create their agency.
Oshi no Ko really portrayed the toxic idol culture and the dark side of the international entertainment industries.
Yea, the exact reason i came up for searching idol culture related videos
@@2005kp yup! Count me in too.
Me too
Because of the anime it makes me wanna read the manga and acknowledge what is happening behind the japanese entertainment industry.
Hello fellow anime fans.
There should be a ton of lawyers lining up to represent idols who have been mistreated and robbed off of their hard work! We the fans, when we listen to the music and watch the music videos all we think about is the Idols not of who the producers are. So they need to stop treating them unfairly and show them the respect they deserve!
Independent managers should line to assist idol wannabes before signing a contract.
Probably lawyers can't do anything, once the robbery is written in it. They become just employees with a crappy contract until they gain some solid name on their own, and still may need to rely on these conglomerates that own from music labels to talent agencies, to TV productions and go on.
Agree, they should make a law because I don't believe Japan has one that protects entertainment artists
EJ I concur, I’m a fan of the performers as well and assumed they received equal recognition, tho I’ve heard the courts haven’t quite made it a fair workplace yet, and in usa performers created guilds or whatever to group up, banding together lol is the only way to balance against corporate greed and corruption because the investors are also quite unaware of how their money is being lazily and unethically used by producers and executives. Transparency is supposed to be a journalist’s purpose so thankfully Norbuto uploaded this video to show us how the industry there is just as dangerous as Los Angeles plastic people.
"Now this might offend many people, especially weaboos"
thanks
Wota is the more appropriate term though, at least here where I live. Weaboo is usually more related to Japan pop culture in general. Meanwhile Wota specifically target idol fanatics.
I bet some of us are here because of Oshi No Ko....
Probably the best way to EVER describe the idol industry done in the first 20 seconds..." The girls are very beautiful and talented, but the industry itself is awful and treats the girls terribly."
Toxic is the perfect word to describe the industry at the moment. With so many girls wanting to be idols, there is plenty of scope for more caring agencies to make money. Hopefully the public will choose to only support the groups that are supported themselves.
I'm glad the idols I know are now *comedians.* Their company also change from *idol* company to *entertainment* company.
OHHHHH I GET IT
I am a huge Idol otaku I admit. That being said, the micro management of the lives of these girls is something I hate. Kicking them out of their groups for smoking a cigarette, even once. Or for having a boyfriend has had truly tragic consequences, such as suicide. I am very glad that their are those who are trying to reform the industry of these bad and harmful practices.
I'm no kpop or pop fan, but after reading about kpop suicides, I sadly would expect such things happening in a country like Japan.
Being an "idol" is just a modern version of geisha. They dance, sing, and learn how to be cute. At the end of the day, they get married to some rich guy who needs arm candy.
The only difference is idol is more international and have way more people that adore them making it more harsher
Well, actually nope. We fighting for them to at least they could get married/ in love without backlash. They're more like young virgin dancers of a cult. A cult ruled by and for 30-50 years old cis-men.
Marriage and relationships seem to be extremely taboo for the Japanese idols. I think it's more like young girls being put on display for the crusty men to gawk at. Someone for them to project their fantasies on, without repercussions.
@@eldron29-a54 if you try to apply western values and politics that is how it will look like. What the comment said is quite right. It already happening since a long time. Just in different form for different era.
@@anti_fragile There are boy idol groups, as well, so it's not just for "crusty men" to gawk at. Crusty women can gawk too. As for repercussions, that's a western thing. The Japanese aren't prudish victorians.
I think idols are fine in concept; they’re basically young, cute popstars who dance and sing and dress in pretty clothing to adoring fans. When it shows up in anime and stuff I think it’s fine. I like the aesthetic sometimes.
But my god I’ve heard how terrible the J and K pop industries are, and as someone who is Japanese I think it’s one of many messed up things in our society that people refuse to recognize as such. But it’s not surprising this happens. I barely follow idols, but I remember when one of them was forced to apologize on TV, crying, with her head shaved, because she was caught dating. That’s like a confession out of 1984, that’s horrifying. And everyone just accepted that. No one thought that was messed up. Just because she dared to fall in love, like, you know, is normal for young adults, that poor girl was treated like a monster. I want to go and hug her and tell her that she did nothing wrong and that she deserved better than that. Alas, she probably just fully believes that she made a mistake and blames herself.
Yeah, I know, she signed up for this. But she was a child when she started training. And maybe I can understand an apology. I can maybe understand if she got benched for a while and was reprimanded for breaking contract. If they like, sat her down, told her that this conflicts with her job, and work it out in private, maybe. They sell themselves on a gimmick, fine. But shaving, harassment, public, crying apology, humiliation, that whole shebang? I just feel sorry for her.
With male idols I don’t think it’s as strict, but the dating restrictions and other BS is still a thing. But I think they have an incentive to treat male idols less like trash because Johnny’s exists, and Johnny’s from what I understand is a company much more lenient, and it’s most popular group until recently was the currently on hiatus Arashi, who are, like, in their 40s by now. They all still found and find work from their well-established fanbases, and the fact that they’re a bit old hadn’t stopped them from being massive cash cows.
But, well, in Japan there’s this empathy on purity for girls so it’s much less viable I guess. I won’t kinkshame people for that, but it gets gross when an entire industry develops around thousands of girls (and boys as well, but especially girls) being subjected to an even worse versions of Japanese business hierarchy and every aspect of their lives being controlled from such an early age, forced to be perfect, pure little angels embodying their most basic character traits. Especially because they’re barely legal adults at oldest. Sure, they might choose it, but I don’t know how this doesn’t break some kind of international human rights law.
Songs like “Silent Majority” just make it painfully, depressingly ironic. Like here they are singing about breaking the mold while they signed themselves up to get the totalitarian dictatorship experience for most of their entire youth. It rings hollow and just shows how corporate they are. Western pop stars don’t have it easy and teen idols are accused of being factory-made, but it’s nothing compared to Japan and Korea’s industries (because I hear South Korea is _even worse_ with this).
Edit: Oh god did not hear about the assault. I rarely pay attention to news, but sometimes my country just continues to embarrass me. What is wrong with people. At least in the west, if this type of culture existed, even loser simps would be all “How dare someone hurt our queen!!!” and the scumbag would get doxxed by 4chan like within days. I really hope she gets help eventually but I doubt she will. I can’t imagine being her.
She's so right. If the idols enjoy it, then all the right fans will enjoy it too, and spread the good words. Glad there's a good ending so far
It’s similar to the Cos-play festivals, where you have girls surrounded by huge groups of men taking photos, and these girls are kneeling and sitting in the rough gravel surface of the road, it pains me to see this and most of all, no one offers the girls a soft mat to to kneel or sit on.
Well I mean, if I go to a convention I wouldn't remember to bring a damned padding for the cosplayers to kneel on. They can bring their own since it's part of what they do, nobody's stopping them
These companies are like Kyubei from “Madoka Magica”
This guy is so brave to brought these kind of issues..
Brave, lol. He just wants comments, subscribers and likes, lol
Like yourself, I think the whole "idol" industry is exploitative, dehumanising and destructive. And the pre-teen idol industry is even worse! Well done for speaking out on this issue!
He didn't say that ? He was referring to the underground idol group agencies.
@@bored0886...which is still the idol industry?
This is heartbreaking. Taking advantage of an innocent young naive person takes an especially cruel scumbag of a person. I'm glad that there's people like Nobita and these former idols to bring light to such a shady industry and get the word out. This is why I stick to Virtual Comedia- er um, IDOLS! Virtual idols! They seem to be treated quite a bit better than real idols, encouraged to take breaks, put their health first, and make ok money from work that isn't too strenuous, well, unless they choose to stream for long hours, which management doesn't force on them afaik.
Probably the ones with bad contracts are the motion capture actors and voice actors behind these virtual characters. Good for them is they are completely anonymous so they don't have to sell themselves or their relationships.
It's such a large industry making millions of dollars so its time more idols fought back to get their fair share .
TATAKAEE
Unfortunately that's about a 1% chance of that happening, the idol industry survives on taking advantage of very young girls who don't know better. The industry also has ties with the pornographic industry and adult magazine industry, something most people don't even think about. Why do you think as soon as they start getting famous they immediately start making "gravure" videos? But hey as long as people keep watching videos and making the companies more money this will simply keep going forever.
Most idols are produced and for everyone that quits there are 20 more to replace that one. Also due to the shelf-life of idols being rather short, any staying power than any idol might get after being popular quickly fades. This is why so many idols try to get into the "tv industry" as tv-stars once they get a bit older.
Idols are produced and while they work hard, they are not actually creating their own content. Giving them a bigger slice of the pie is just dumb. However I do agree that some of the bigger or biggest stars should get more money since they have grown from being an idol into a brand name that promotes the industry as a whole.
@@antoniomorph12 Sounds similar to some of the Hololivers being okay with hentai of their characters being made.
I really think the whole industry just needs to die. Even at it's "best", idol culture is just taking advantage of starry-eyed young women, and desperate young men, to make easy profit. That's never going to be healthy in the long term for any culture, even at it's best of times.
That woman is amazing for opening her own idol group and doing it right.
Respect 😎✌️
Just what I came here to say 😊
But… Who write the songs ?
@@julosx In her last group (same company as current group and NOT the abusive company), she and other members wrote about half the lyrics... the other half of the songs' lyrics and the composition was outsourced. Not sure if to other parts of the company or to independent composers.
It's just disheartening, if they are making us happy they also deserve to be, really respect the girls who stood up for themselves and everyone trying their best out there
This is sadly the case all over the world. They pressure People into signing contracts and the company always gets most of the money. Even in America. They will pay for the artist to live in a fancy place for image purposes then take the money from their sales to pay it off.
You know, one name comes to when it comes to how toxic the idol industry can be: Yukiko Okada. When I first heard about her story, it honestly broke my heart.
Who?
Same here. I became a fan of Yukko many months before discovering her tragic fate. It broke my heart as well. That such a great talent and beautiful soul would be snuffed out at such a young age😔
2nd name is Yasuko Endo, she died 10 days earlier their about the same age.
Can someone please elaborate
@@a_maxed_out_handle_of_30_chars She was an idol in the 80s. She tried to kill herself due to the company's abuse, was brought to the hospital by her manager, left the hospital, went to the office and jumped off from the roof. Her death sparked aroud 30 suicides in her fans and it's known now as "Yukiko/Yukko Syndrome"
Good for Nobita for exposing this abuse of young girls. Abuse of any person is never acceptable.
Again thank you, Nobita-san. You really touch very important subjects, most of which I had even no idea about. This should be shown at schools to every teenager. That'd make them either reconsider if that was their dream, or at least be careful when signing anything in the future.
Just finished watching OSHI NO KO EP1
I became of big fan of J-pop because of anime songs, so I love Idols. But I am completely turn-off by the industry and some of their fans. One stupid thing is the 'no dating allowed'. For me, if my favorite Idol has a boyfriend only means that she is happy, thus will sing more happily. I would be pissed off if she has to stop singing because of that.
That's what you think. Then the media will cover the drama of those relationships and it will spill into the whole entertainment industry.
@@DrJams Well, it depends. Minami Minegishi from AKB48 Vs another girl from a smaller Idol group will get different treatments. My favorite Idol band is 9nine. One of the girls posted a pic with her boyfriend in 2007 (9nine only became popular in 2010 with the anime StarDriver). She was removed from the group and no big drama about it at that time. It's like she never existed.
@@christophec6201 Miichan's "drama" is blew up not a small part by her own agency who see this as a part of marketing, even if its bad marketing
im actually kinda glad that the 48 got their backlash with Maho's case
what really horryfing, its 48, one of the biggest idol act in Japan, if the big fishes are treating their idol this bad, how hellish is the situation with Chika idol scenes ?
Nobita surely made a good video about it
Just enjoy the product skip the drama, at least that's how I do it. Although I know some people can't do that. For example a person like some art, then he finds out that the artist did some horrible things, suddenly he hates the art. From my observation, a lot of people think like this. For me it doesn't matter, I completely separate the work from the person/organization. If I like it, then I like it, doesn't matter who made it.
Although I do like the dark side of industries that I'm interested in. It's just a curiosity I suppose.
Who's here because of Oshi no Ko?
Probably me, I've seen some videos related to it and youtube recommended this
Man, I've been watching Nobita for years. He's so much confident now, and his English is miles better than it was then. Just wanna say thanks for sharing with us about Japanese culture. The good and the bad, keep it up!
I'm glad the video ended on a happy note, more power to Ms Kotobano and the idol group she's handling
Man. I have a daughter. Very adorable. Constantly complimented randomly anytime we go out. Been asked if we've ever thought about modeling. And we have, and the answer is no. There's no way I'd ever let a producer get anywhere near my child. At least, not until she's at least 21. There are so many horror stories about children getting into the entertainment industry. Avoid at all costs.
Thank you for this Nobita. I love Jpop and Kpop but I hear these terrible stories about that business.
I am so heartbroken about Hana Kimura the Japanese wrestler who was on Terrace House.
Sometimes I think Japan is just weird. Not a nice place for people in the Far East.
Japan is weird but every entertainment industry is shitty. Judy Garland was made to have abortions and put on many drugs by her management causing lifelong addiction. Boy groups having lawsuits for being molested, Britney Spears being used and controlled by her dad. It goes on and on. It’s just In the West they give them perceived freedom and then hook you on drugs.
@@WokOverEasy this whole industry has been set on the business model of exploiting pretty, desperate young girls... Money causes people to forget everything they believe.
Hollywood has worked exactly the same. And what we know about Disney idols...? they have a lot of problems.
@@WokOverEasy Right. And Marilyn Munroe as well. Got her hooked on prescription drugs and she died of an overdose. Or that is the official story. And Elvis Presley. Stay off the drink and drugs and keep track of the money being paid and you might survive in show business. Movies and music made years ago is still making money today. I hope the kids and grandkids of the artists make money from what their family did.
@@Haegemon That EVIL mouse...! Walt and Roy Disney exploited the children of America for $$$$$.
I am obsessed with Asian idols in general, but, I must admit, that the rules the idols must follow are one the most horrible things I have ever heard, I really feel bad for these idols who just want to make people like me smile but have to also endure the tyrannical and corrupt industry, I want the idols to be happy, all the fans want them to be happy, and I dream of a future where the Idol Industry will give most of the power and decisions to the idols themselves, I hope Japanese people keep this in mind come October 22nd
What's even worse is countries are copying this, like Korea and K-Pop, when no nation should allow this to happen to their youth. The issue is that this ends up being preferrable to the education system (college), in Korea at least, since you can at least be famous and popular.
@@alext3811 The good thing is that if Japan decides to finally change the industry to give the idols more independence, the other countries might follow
@@moisesnunez7096 idol treatment in Japan is the reflection of their employee treatment in general. The employer, in this case agency, exploit their employees aka idols for maximum profit. Corporations in Japan have tremendous power over their employee. If there are going to be a reform, it unlikely start from idol industry. Instead it'll likely need to start from a complete work regulation reform.
@@UltimateAlgorithmLet me put it this way, if the opposition was better organized from the start and had been elected more often, Japan would be a different society today
Thanks for this. This is a real difficult problem that needs more exposure, IMO. Westeners tend to see the bright side and because most of the people are not really knowable about show business, they tend to ignore the bad things or think that the things work like in western society. That couldn't be more wrong.
I my eyes, the talent agencies in Japan are very ruthless and cold towards their acts. In a sense they are just a disposable product when compared to western counterparts.
I was totally shocked to see all these magazines and young girls dressing up with short skirts. I don't understand how this is normal and worry it has been attracting paedophiles to the country. I was also shocked to see all these love hotels. A side of the culture which I won't be able get used to. Anyway, I'm glad you made this video and I hope this aspect of culture changes or at least that nobody is exploited and abused by it.
@@civagiarn I'm not with you. The western counterparts are just as skimpy clothed or in some cases even worse. It's a bit too holier that thou -attitude to start pointing out such things.
I bet you just aren't used to sight variation of what is exposed in the public plases.
I'm not worried at all about those idols being "too exposed". Yeah there are some skimpy clothes and stuff, but there's also usually much more clothing than in your average european/american teenage magazine. Also there are always parents involved in dealing with minors, so the agencies cannot go full pedo as easilly.
The thing that should be worrying is the fact that the agecies use girls enthusiasm to sign the bad contracts and so on. The true exlpoitation lives in the contract terms.
I think oshi no ko is trying to expose that in anime version 😢
Yes but ×100 times worse specially the ending
Still won't recover from this depression 😢
I was at Sunshine Mall a few years ago and there happened to be a girls concert. The audience was mainly older men. It was creepy AF.
I don't like the idea of idolizing in general.
This is why I love Band-Maid's success story. (Highly recommend their music.)
Band-Maid started with a former underground idol and highly skilled musicians forming a rock band. None of them were famous.
Earlier other people wrote music for them and the band kept pushing to write their own music, which kept getting turned down.
Band-Maid currently composes, writes lyrics and even produces their own music now, which sounds lightyears better than what they were given. They're inspirational and getting more popular.
Nobita are you interested in interviewing them? lol.
Hard to believe that Miku was considered too old and not good enough to be a idol.
@@cnordegren That wasn't the case. She wasn't too old at the time (Age 21-22). She was just in an underground idol group so they weren't well known and that was the best gig she could get.
Also to be fair, the Miku we know now is not the same as Miku in 2013 when it comes to skill and experience. As much as people like her, realistically it took her years to improve. Honestly, that goes for all the members of Band-Maid and they're still pushing themselves to sharpen and expand their skills to this day.
I love band-maid! I want to see them in a concert one day but it's unlikely. Haha. I keep listening to their songs and never get tired of them.
@@xPixelDreams Don't give up hope! They're getting a bit more well known so they may come to your country someday!
Yes, I never get tired of their music too.
my friends was idols for few years but now they quit...thanks for exposing this nobita. truth is needed about japan for foreigners.
Honestly, that's an issue shared by most if not all developed countries. There's a very toxic side to the Idol industry in Japan but these aren't all bad either. And I think it's getting better every year.
Eimi Fukada, a current AV star in her own UA-cam channel, still discussed the same thing about underground idol industry...and it is really dark. In fact, she said that some of its boss was quite sociopath
It's just as Way from Crayon Pop described it in her Asian Boss interview. I feel I have to shine light on the other side of the coin. What I mean is the industry is toxic to its performers, but some fans don't help the situation. First of all there's a reason they're called "Idols". Whether it's a Japanese or Korean group just look the comment sections and you'll always see people saying this person is a queen or goddess. To be frank I find it disturbing, unhealthy, and needless to say it's idol worship. Hence why I try to call them performers and not idols. In addition the good ole arsehole netizens can be a problem with their insults and very direct comments. As stated in the video they can contribute to a performers suicide.
tbh kpop fans are the most toxic rather than fans in japan idol.but yeah both are same tho. its so disgusting idk why there is such a low life human being doing such a bad thing like that.
@@goldenboy6667 I don't know as much about the Japanese fanbase, but I do get the impression that the Korean one is worse. It's cliché but true nonetheless that people online are naturally more outspoken, and therefore can more vile. Then of course you have the ever annoying bots and trolls. People also really need to tone down the idol worship, and remember we're all just human. Not to be rude but I find it pathetic and creepy at times. Saying someone is a queen or a "literal goddess".
Very much agree, idolization is wrong and bad, and internet doofus, yea their itchy fingers contributed a lot too. We must be careful with what we say anywhere anytime. Im guilty too, not this idol stuff but in other stuff too.
@@Jekyll08 Yeah, something is wrong with you if you call someone things like that unironically. As a K-Pop fan myself, I've never believed that my faves were more than good people. Even that is questionable with all the bullying accusations (becoming like MeToo but for school bullying).
@@Jekyll08 I used to be a fan of Kpop songs and not the idols but the toxicity of popular groups were so annoying and I actually lost respect to those industry not identifying the problem caused by the fans just so they might lose the fanbase
Kpop runs on face value meaning the idol aesthetics sell more than the songs could ever since atleast 70% of the people listening doesn't know korean and can't really understand the song If not for the MV where the face value plays a major role
The idol worship is seriously Messed up and I've seen crazy shits due to that
Choosing to ignore that problem just so it means good business is disturbing since it would mean that there is no measure that would ever be taken
I don't ever think I would ever again get into Kpop and recently I've been noticing my international friends doing the same it's just a while before that goes out of existence for good
The idol in Japan is considerably better In terms of toxicity internationally but inside japan there are perverts who should be kept in check
I hope that this woman inspires others to also make idol groups not for money but for the enjoyment of those who want to be idols
It's 3 a.m here in India.
I was going to sleep
But Nobita shares a new video. 🙃
Same bro
@@indieimpact8152 You can take a nap tomorrow guys!
Who's here after watching Oshi no Ko?
Oshi no ko story 💀💀💀
What makes this more sad is that many of these groups don't receive a lot of attention. Like, my favorite J-Pop idol group, Especia, were great performers and had even better music, and I'm sure they did okay while they were together, but I believe they, as well as some select others, deserved a bigger crowd. They were so good.
Maybe these underground idols make a slice-of-life anime OP, and that's about it.
Same with one of my favourite groups ONEPIXCEL. Their music and their dance moves are amazing but they announced they will be disbanding in June. Freaking heartbroken.
Also I just checked out the group you mentioned. Their music is so good!
Probably political within the industry. Kickbacks to keep certain idol groups in the limelight and ignore those upcoming groups.
especia was too good for this world... it sucks their style didn't catch on, i absolutely love their music. Some of the members still make really good j pop and city pop to this day.
@@Mopantsu with male idols I agree since it's only recent that their influence in media started to decrease & more male groups started to emmerge. For female, its more complicated since the market is too satured. Only big franchises gets the public attention & do well. They have "better" management too. The underground or chikas on the other hand can only rely on small audience which is mostly made of the worst type of wotas out there. Many chikas idols are run by greedy pigs & yakuza. The decent ones have less budget & so cant sustain from the very small audience. Since those wotas have specific taste, anything unorthodox would be a gamble. But sometimes those gamble pays well. Big franchise like hello!project, 48G and wack(somehow) are the exemple because they managed to reach the general audience. Because of that, they're still staying afloat even after their decline
Gotta praise Nobita for telling us the truth. I have known about the Jpop and Kpop industries before I became a fan, but there are still so many ways this can be reformed. Korea is specially hectic and stressful, as netizens are even more critical of their perfect image of idols. Nevertheless, I am still a fan of idol groups and want to see their performances because in any country, boys and girls have dreams of singing and dancing or being famous. It is a unique form of entertainment but thats all it is, entertainment. I am not one of those weirdos who spend their whole day checking their favorite idols activities. I got shits to take, people to see.
Is it normal that when im bored i check them up and like look on what they're doing? Or its the unhealthy fan attitude
@@dot2382 I'd say it's normal. OIf you see them for hours and hours and spend money on them and it becomes a problem with sleeping and work for example, then I would say that's obsessive.
@@jacquesmesrine3244 oh I'm still not that obssesed i guess would try not being that since it can be terrible and to plain respect the idols cause they're also humans
Too be honest, I always felt that there was something wrong with group dancers, especially kpop dancers. It was too perfect for me and plus, they kinda don't have much difference between each person. Nobita is right about jpop harsh environment is similar to kpops environment and that more idols should be able to say something.
kpop artists are basically forced to get surgery to look perfect, hence the homogenized look. Even if they are not "ugly"
As a person who loves idols (my wife drags me on her hobbies), this won't stop me from supporting them... Thanks Nobita for this info...
I still have my cousin's contract photo for this idol thing and actually if you have seen a contract for idol activities in Japan you will never notice the hidden agenda and the tricks unless you read it at least 5 times, at first you will think its clean but if you look closer in the contract some will say. "The agency will provide the necessary things for your idol activities and also some of the fees" something like that but it will not say what kind of "THINGS" the agency will actually provide and what are not and they will put it between the most important information and the sugar coated information like how many memorable experience you will make with the other members if you join in or you will meet so many interesting people if you join in. So it will overshadow the sentence. They will always put Vague answers in the contract and if you're still a 18-19 years old naive High school student you will never notice the tricks and will be easily deceived
I remember about 5 or 6 years ago a Former Jpop idol who moved here to Canada made news when she broke her silence on the industry and how she and her band mates were treated. The production companies in Japan how managed Jpop idols banded together and did their best to slander her and discredit her. In the end the furor died down and it was learned the her former management company paid her and her former band mates a significant sum to just go away. It’s shameful how idols are treated and taken advantage of.
1 thing I don't get is, why so many idols in Japan(female idols) still active or after graduated, take/become gravure model/photo?. Are they have to do that or it's included in their contracts. It's a seriously sad culture.
"Specially the weabos" hahhahaa you're a badass nobita hahahah
Don't forget about the westoweebos :P
he has every right to offend them LMAO
The weeb that stick out will be hammered down by nobita. Nobita the weeb slayer, kimetsu no nobita. Nobita Jaeger.
@@vivoslibertos You're leaving out the westoweebs :D Do you think nobita is a westoweeb?
@@muajin Nobita is not a weeb or westoweeb. He corrected it because people are making themselves an anti to their culture. You see, I've researched about this meaning of "weeb". Because the word "weeb" was used to describe people who like something Japanese (example: anime, cosplay, ramen), but ends up being an anti to the Japanese culture, completely insulting it. I may like anime, but I still treat with respect and care to the Japanese and their culture. No offense, though.
There is a song called “Lonely in Tokyo” by the artists Mirei which i think is a song definitely worth listening to. Not only does the song sound great with its tune but it’s the lyrics that really send a message to the listeners. About the side we don’t see or hear from in the music industry with idols or pop stars in general. I think it’s maybe worth a mention and should give it a listen to. If not already. Great video.
In all countries, performing artists have to spend a lot of time and often their own money on training. If their act is signed and then successful, then they get paid. Contracts are generally 5-7 years anywhere, as the company signing the act invests considerable time and money into marketing/recording/tours etc. Japanese idols actually have it relatively easy: structured training and rehearsal space is paid for and they can train after school (while Western performing arts schools shorten the academic day to make way room for vocational training). Yes, it's hard work. That's life. It's high risk, high reward, and the most successful Japanese idols are multi-millionaires. Most disappear after a few years and have to get a normal job, just like performing arts anywhere else. Finally, suicide is endemic in Japanese and Korean culture, not just the pop industry.
That is true
makes sense. Even in the west, most successful musicians were most likely a nickelodean or disney star.
@@501clonetrooper that is also true alot of people forget most celebrates in america were child stars
@@Batkenpre it is much harder in america to become a popular musician than Japan. Love Live and Idoly Pride VAs are all newcomers you never heard before, but they have huge companies backing them up. Even if they don't get a hit musical career, they easily get roles as voice actors. That isn't the case for America since most child actors have to move to either music or acting, both of which are hard. Successful examples are like Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas started their careers at extremely extremely young ages, and that is how they got became so successful. Idols can start late in their career and make it.
@@501clonetrooper that is true it's also one of the many reasons why American child stars usually go crazy at some point if anything Japanese idols have alil bit to easy compared to American idols
Good video Nobita. Thank you for giving these people a platform to have their voices heard.
Abusive stuffs exist yes! But then I think it's also differs from managements to managements . Good to very good agencies exist and their idols mostly tend to reach popularity faster than most and some are really well-paid too. But then bad agencies also provoke problems and most of them are from the underground idol scene where they don't have much of a budget at hands and not only them but the idols also have to struggle on their own.
This is why I prefer vtubers. It's a lot more lax, less predatory, the idols have more autonomy and they seem to earn more as well. Plus they are better protected from stalkers. Seems like the revolution the idol industry needed.
@rezargamer I think they are referring to vtubers that are idols
I watch Oshi No Ko Anime now and read the manga. Very close to reality this Anime
Oh, and this is just scratching the surface. Not only the companies are bad; the fans are awful too. Online harassment and real-life stalking are huge problems in Japan's entertainment industry, and I've seen many idols be either driven out of their career or outright driven to suicide from sheer abuse from their own "fans".
I still believe the japanese are more respectful than what we have. Most of these girls live in big cities, most likely Tokyo and a hundred of people probably recognize them everyday. Meanwhile our « stars » have to hide in the Californian hills in a mansion with personal security because they’re so fucking done with fans and paparazzi.
Nobita: "These might offend many people, especially weaboos"
LOL Nobita
Or the Japanese otakus. if they understood the video. lol
The absolute irony is that western idol & anime fans have been yelling into the wind about poor treatment of idols for so many years before it even became a mainstream discussion. He's calling out the same people who fucking popularized this as a known issue in the first place. Fucking hate how that term gets weaponized.
@@nathanmerritt1581
Subtitles exist for them. You think he wouldn't want his own countrymen to know?
I had a Japanese Female friend from a Ramen Restaurant and this I would say is not even limited to Japan and yes this is in American and I had a feeling that this type of this was happening.
She was not an idol by any means, but when I asked her out, she mentioned that the management kept her from doing so. Which I found odd and I still worry about my friend, even if I am in a relationship.
The pop industry in the UK and USA was just the same through the 90s and 00s (and most likely for decades before that as well) but Japan and Korea have taken the idea to a more extreme level.
Bro, that was a rejection if you didn't realize it
@@doraemonpawnz Let me clarify to *hustlebwns* and *doraemopawns* right now. If she mentioned that she was "not interested in a relationship", do you really think I would be talking about this now? I am also in a relationship where I am with a rocker chick and I do work for bands every now and then.
I am saying what I saw was out of place is that she mentioned that her boss was not to keen on her dating anyone and I would understand in the workplace, but she mentioned in general without using the typical excuse. As far as I know, she's is a friend of mine and nothing more than that.
@@mememaster147 Yeah and from my thoughts are you can take the man out of Japan, but you can't take the Japan out of the man in this case and and it might not be the case, but during the time the management back then, it's was like there was something off about the hostesses in a "worried look" kind of way, because they way back when looked like they were worried about making a mistake than anything.
@hustlebwnz True enough, but it still bothers me, because it was a "No" in some way, fine. However I felt eyes on me like a painting while having my meal during the time after I asked and I can tell you I didn't show up for months after that.
Let's just say, I can handle rejection and I just move on, but the moment I feel a dark presence directed at me, it took a management change before I came back to eat. Like imagine any anime where a character gives someone the "Evil Eye" out of anger and the character getting it gets the chills and that's what I felt.
Ms. Kotobano is so inspirative. She's first female who produce a female idol group I know, after her terrible experience as an idol. Stay strong and keep struggling, Kotobano-san!
I love your honesty. Humanity is still beautiful when it's imperfect. Thanks for showing all sides.
The not have a boyfriend "rule" in the industry didn't exist in the early 1980s to mid-1980s. It is relevantly modern. In fact some idols from my understanding openly dated each other around that time. However I feel due to controversies and very unfortunate tragedies the industry decided to take a more hardline stance on it. Which is very disappointing as it treats these women like objects rather than talented performers. I do hope in the near future Japan changes there stance on this and idols promote and encourage their fans to date and explore love for themselves. Japan needs that.
I can see the appeal on idols, but after finding out what they don't want you to know, I've been totally against the Idol industry.
But now that former idol Ms. Kotobano is changing things by becoming a producer herself with her own Idol unit, I can finally SIMP worry free!
I'll do my best to make them succeed.
This may be difficult to do, depending on the state of labor rights in Japan, but I wonder if an industrial union like the IWW could help these girls achieve better recognition and workers rights. They clearly put in a lot of labor out of love, so it's sad that they are so severely exploited.
This is so sad! I just got off learning about the Pleasure Squad from North Korea (which of course is 100x worse), but seeing how the entertainment industries is doing almost the same thing in our own free society is so utterly disgraceful. At least we can voice our own opinions.
At the same time, I hope good changes can come for these girls. I am really happy for Aya-san :)
Thanks for showing us more of the reality of what’s life like in Japan. You have great content. Raw and very eye-opening.
I'm pretty sure this problem might slightly change after the anime Oshinoko
Yo you are speaking facts around the world Im not a fan of weaboos myself or worshipping a human we are all made to do something on the this earth as a person facts
Nobita, thank you for your insightful information. Idol groups need to be treated respectfully. I am glad that that former idol star is helping to make things better.
I personally support 2D idol franchises such as LoveLive and Idolish7 much more than the 3D idols, these franchises introduced me to their seiyuus and now I enjoy animes with these seiyuus a lot more. I also watch Hololive clips and livestreams when I have free time.
I got introduced to idol like behaviour from Date A Live and Love Live.
Theres this manga called 推しの子 (Oshi no ko) that is about the idol industry in Japan, it touches on deep issues so its pretty cool
Talking about Oshi no Ko?
Hm, as an alt/underground idol fan, i didn't really suspect anything bad happening because members were allowed to graduate due to injury, or raising a kid. And there are self produced groups, but ig they'd still be screwed over by some managment. Kinda sucks when those groups do unique stuff like fuse idol with prog, or trancecore.