Blog that needs a name.
- Thread starter St George
- Start date
PaulWallLibertarian42
TNPer
How about "Nier Nier Nier Nier Nier" a play on "neener neener neener et.al."
Democratic Donkeys
TNPer
I am excited to see what happens here, or maybe not.Nierr:
G
God-Emperor
Guest
Especially if they're truly random.
Romanoffia
Garde à l'eau!
I've got a title for your blog...Nierr:
Nierr my God to thee.
(a play on words. waits to see if anyone gets it.)
- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
Next time you see a story where some western celebrity, actor or superstar complain about a lack of privacy - as YouTubers Zoella and Alfie "Pointless Blog" Dayes did late last year, spare a thought for members of Japan's so called 'Idol Groups', who are subject to increasingly restrictive contracts intended to keep up the mystique of the band and entice young male fans.
J-Pop girl bands, who usually perform upbeat, bouncy songs complete with skimpy outfits and the usual deference for men that pervades all parts of Japanese society, have increasingly been contractually required to submit to what would amount to restrictions on their guaranteed by the Japanese constitution and related laws - and their management companies are prepared to enforce those contracts through law suits or even sue those who violate them for monetary compensation.
Despite the marketing campaigns and image put out by their management companies and production labels, the sex symbol status of "Idols" doesn't extend beyond the hype. In reality, almost all J-Pop female stars are banned from even dating, let alone having sex or forming lasting relationships. AKB48 founding member Minami Minegishi went viral when a video of her with shaven head and apologising for forming a relationship with the Generations boy band member Alan Shirahama in February 2013. Shirahama eventually apologised for his part in the 'scandal' whilst Minegishi was demoted from an official member of AKB48 to a trainee. As of August 2014 Minegishi had been restored to team captain and official member of the band, but that did not let the band management escape from criticism from sections of both Japanese and Western media labelling the contractual agreements the Idol was under as "probably illegal under Japanese labor laws."
The focus on the perception and image of the band members to their fans seems to override arguably more important affairs, such as under-age stars being in the hotel rooms of men of majority, as happened to a 17 year old starlet member of the band NokiNoki, who was sued - along with her parents - by the bands management for damaging her image by forming a relationship with an over age male, and being discovered in his hotel room with an additional man. NokiNoki's management won 650,000 yen from her and her parents with the judge in the case saying that "the clause prohibiting dating was necessary to get the support of male fans" and "the revelation of an idol's relationship damages their image".
As horrific as this all is, change is coming. In January 2016 a Tokyo court (the same that handed down the 650,000 yen award against the NokiNoki singer) denied a claim by the management of idol group Aoyama Saint Hachamecha High School against of two former members sued after leaving the group in 2014. The claim for 9.9 million yen - just under $85,000 - was filed as the 23-year old singer, either Miho Yuki or Sena Miura who both quit the band citing "ill-health" had violated a "no romance" clause in their contract. The Judge ruled that the clause violated the freedom to pursue happiness, part of the Japanese constitution, saying that "we must acknowledge that forbidding pop idols to date by claiming compensation for damages goes too far." Whether this invalidates similar clauses in the contracts of other J-Pop stars is not yet known.
Reaction to the ruling was mixed, although largely negative, with one fan summing up the prevailing attitude to J-pop idols when he wrote "You are already rich and famous. Expecting to go dates is asking too much." This blog thinks that perhaps Japanese attitudes need to change before the dating of pop idols will ever be fully accepted, similar to how the partners - alleged or otherwise - of western male singers such as Justin Bieber are subjected to abuse online and in person.
J-Pop girl bands, who usually perform upbeat, bouncy songs complete with skimpy outfits and the usual deference for men that pervades all parts of Japanese society, have increasingly been contractually required to submit to what would amount to restrictions on their guaranteed by the Japanese constitution and related laws - and their management companies are prepared to enforce those contracts through law suits or even sue those who violate them for monetary compensation.
Despite the marketing campaigns and image put out by their management companies and production labels, the sex symbol status of "Idols" doesn't extend beyond the hype. In reality, almost all J-Pop female stars are banned from even dating, let alone having sex or forming lasting relationships. AKB48 founding member Minami Minegishi went viral when a video of her with shaven head and apologising for forming a relationship with the Generations boy band member Alan Shirahama in February 2013. Shirahama eventually apologised for his part in the 'scandal' whilst Minegishi was demoted from an official member of AKB48 to a trainee. As of August 2014 Minegishi had been restored to team captain and official member of the band, but that did not let the band management escape from criticism from sections of both Japanese and Western media labelling the contractual agreements the Idol was under as "probably illegal under Japanese labor laws."
The focus on the perception and image of the band members to their fans seems to override arguably more important affairs, such as under-age stars being in the hotel rooms of men of majority, as happened to a 17 year old starlet member of the band NokiNoki, who was sued - along with her parents - by the bands management for damaging her image by forming a relationship with an over age male, and being discovered in his hotel room with an additional man. NokiNoki's management won 650,000 yen from her and her parents with the judge in the case saying that "the clause prohibiting dating was necessary to get the support of male fans" and "the revelation of an idol's relationship damages their image".
As horrific as this all is, change is coming. In January 2016 a Tokyo court (the same that handed down the 650,000 yen award against the NokiNoki singer) denied a claim by the management of idol group Aoyama Saint Hachamecha High School against of two former members sued after leaving the group in 2014. The claim for 9.9 million yen - just under $85,000 - was filed as the 23-year old singer, either Miho Yuki or Sena Miura who both quit the band citing "ill-health" had violated a "no romance" clause in their contract. The Judge ruled that the clause violated the freedom to pursue happiness, part of the Japanese constitution, saying that "we must acknowledge that forbidding pop idols to date by claiming compensation for damages goes too far." Whether this invalidates similar clauses in the contracts of other J-Pop stars is not yet known.
Reaction to the ruling was mixed, although largely negative, with one fan summing up the prevailing attitude to J-pop idols when he wrote "You are already rich and famous. Expecting to go dates is asking too much." This blog thinks that perhaps Japanese attitudes need to change before the dating of pop idols will ever be fully accepted, similar to how the partners - alleged or otherwise - of western male singers such as Justin Bieber are subjected to abuse online and in person.
D
Deleted User (Guest)
Guest
Well, that last paragraph confirms that attitudes in Japan need to change. Holy crap. What a narrow minded lout.