Idols%20and%20Celebrity%20in%20Japanese%20Media%20Culture

Introduction: The Mirror of Idols and Celebrity 23
imagined female role in relation to the host). Though these criticisms
were directed mostly toward the group’s producer, Akimoto Yasushi,
Okamura later claimed that he intended to criticize only the group’s
most fervent fans (so-called “otaku”). In Japan’s neoliberal media system,
criticism of producers is almost always taboo. If fans are pathologized in
the media, it is often because criticism of the media industry is strictly
proscribed.
The role of the mass media in inflating the margins has created the
effect of idols’ perceived widespread popularity. Studies of the number
of mentions of the group AKB48 in blogs have found an astounding
discourse on idols within Japanese cyberspace. In the period between
January and May 2011, there were 73,420 unique mentions on blogs of
Maeda Atsuko alone, who is arguably the most popular member of the
group (Barks Global Media 2011b). 26 However, not all of these mentions
are from committed fans voicing their support. Many are from antifans,
who are criticizing their relentless promotion and media hype.
Moreover, Japanese idols are intertextual commodities; music is but
one dimension of their popularity. There is much reason to be skeptical
about the widespread popularity of groups like AKB48. Despite the
Japanese media’s relentless production of tabloid news and gossip about
the group, AKB48’s first variety program during golden time performed
terribly in the ratings. 27 Dramas that have featured popular members of
the group, such as Maeda Atsuko, have also had lukewarm receptions.
From a rather cynical point of view, it seems that the success of these
“national idols” is but an effect of the media.
Criticism of the business practices of idol groups is not limited to
AKB48. In 2010, fan frustration with the ticket distribution system of
Johnny & Associates reached the breaking point. Concert tickets for its
idol group Arashi were parceled out according to a lottery system that
required fans to pay in advance (maekinsei)forthechancetobeawarded
a ticket. With no assurance of receiving a ticket, fans had to pay the
entire ¥7,000 ($88) price of the ticket. 28 Most had to wait at least a
month before hearing the results of the lottery, but some waited for
several months. In addition to paying a ¥500 ($6) application fee, those
fans who were not awarded a ticket were required to pay a ¥700 ($9)
fee in order to have the price of the ticket refunded. Even to enter the
lottery, one needed to be a member of Arashi’s official fan club, which
costs ¥4,000 ($50) annually. All of this, in addition to many not being
able to attend the concert, aggravated fans, including some who even
lodged complaints with the Consumer Affairs Agency (Shūkan Josei 2010,
29–31).