So it seems there’s been some discussion about “hiding one’s fandom” from his or her friends, if it happens to be idols.
(gif by AkogaremyStar)
Thaaaaaat seems like dodgy high-school crap to me.
Category: Rant
It’s all About the Image…
AKB48’s Minegishi Minami has been demoted because she was seen near a boy, seen leaving his house, whatever, I don’t even really care. The article and horrifying youtube video is here. Spoiler alert: Minami decided to shave her head to show how sorry she is about all this. She looks incredibly vulnerable in this video. It hurts to watch. It’s almost awkward.
There is something so visceral about the image of a woman with a shaved head (when the shaved head is not simply a hair style). It likens back to the days when supposed “fallen” women had their hair ripped off with knives. It just seems extreme and unnecessary. Seeing her looking so ashamed, so sad…it hit me in the gut in a way that I didn’t expect. When I saw the scandal report, I thought it would be dismissed because she is one of the more popular members. I didn’t think I’d care.
How wrong I was.
Perhaps a Clumsy Simile…
…But it came to me at work and I think it might actually be fitting.
The following rant and simile is brought to you by things like ‘Confession’ pictures and the ridiculous comments on them. And by something I read a long time ago that actually really bothered me.
An example of a Jdrama related ‘confession. Rest assured that a response to this will probably include the word, “delusional”.
Someone wrote that they didn’t like a certain idol anymore because he or she had “clearly faked” a reaction to something. Something about that really bothered me. A fixation on things being “faked” is a little silly, isn’t it? Everything an idol does is for YOU – or more directly the Japanese audience who directly pays for their opportunities. Then there is the agency’s agenda… Think about that.
(Warning: There may be a few choice words in here.)
Quick word on AKB
Why AKB is completely brilliant and wildly unfair:
“It’s not so much what’s on the screen, it’s what you’re thinking.” – My Brother
HanaKimi 2011 – WHY!?
I already said elsewhere that there was no need to make this. The original isn’t even ten years old. The original knew exactly what it was. It knew how to balance drama with slap-stick and weirdness with heart-warming. The original was mess-y, not a confused, tragic mess. If you’re going to remake something this silly, with such a simple concept, then how could you possibly mess it up?? I wondered why the ratings were so low, because with an AKB tie-in, plus Maeda as your lead, you’d think they’d have it easy. I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
Really. It’s so much worse than you’d think…
In Which Isilie’s “in denial”
Maybe you haven’t read this, but on a recent music special (I forget the name of it) Arashi had some mic trouble and therefore their performance was, to quote the title of this article, “atrocious” (except of course, for Ohno).
I can’t bring myself to watch it because I can’t think of many things more embarrassing, especially when it seems every other artist managed to be “cd quality” good. I know however that despite some “bitter smiles” Arashi finished the disastrous performance as professionals.
The problem is that this “proves” Arashi can’t sing!
*jarring chord* The jig is UP people!
*rolls eyes*
In Which Isilie Reviews 