What you think about "non dating" policy?
 

When I heard that some idols got fired from their agency because they dated boys/girls, I feel sorry for them. What I think is that when they're not performing, It's their personal time. For me, to have restriction in personal issue is quite bad. I know that there're some otaku that will go mad when they know that their idol got her boyfriend, married, pregnant, whatsoever. I don't think that they should care about that kind of otaku anyway because they're so unreasonable. (you know, the kind that always imagine that the girl is their.)

And...., I heard that in the past they even forbid idols to eat ramen because it's a junk food. Is it true?

I'ts true that many both Japanese and Korean superstars are forbidden to get involved in romantic relationships - mainly because this will cause a decrease in fan base.. I've never heard that they got fired for it though - never. But hey? Look at haido and Miyavi - they're both married and have kids, and their popularity hasn't decreased from what I know.

The ramen thing? It wouldn't surprise me, but I honestly cannot tell you.

Whatever the case, I dislike otakus primarily for this reason: they're usually selfish and (obviously) obssessive. The same with many fanatical, "hardcore" fans here in America. It's important to note the majority of these particular kinds of fans are younger -- or young-minded/immature.

I do think it's a shame that some agencies are bending over for these kinds of audiences, but I also can't blame them for their concern. Idols, in my opinion, aren't just individual musicians grouped together - especially in Japan - because although it may seem like it, they don't represent themselves like most solo-artists do... or, at least not to the same degree; they may have less freedom; they are more often commited to representing a message.

It may sound weird, but the way I see it, the nature of the concept of idols dictates they become a kind of "guardian" for their listeners -- a form of cheerleader (possibly explaining the number of members in any given group). Which is still definitely a respectable aspect of music.
... But when you find out your "guardian" has priorities other than cheering for you and motivating you, specifically having a romantic relationship with someone... you may get (subconsciously) offended. Taken into consideration that many otakus are immature, incapable of handling a number of realities, and that idols attract a lot of fans, which include many otaku... naturally that would mean many of their fans would be upset to find out their idols are engaging in romantic affairs. It's potentially a loss of profit (or the gain of "anti-fans" -- as sad as those are).

This is just all my opinion. Idols are intriguing because, to me, they are an example of the complexity of life and society. It's a trade-off; a tragedy invoked by human ambition. Their life seems as though it comes with some amazing rewards and some monstrous punishments. And, in this case, being prohibited of an intimate relationship is one of the "punishments" to be suffered.

I agree with you on the otaku thing - they're generally super scary people. We have/had one here who was over 30 years old. When people live a delusional life like that.. it's just scary.

And.. haido is not just a solo artist - js. He's also part of L'arc~En~Ciel and VAMPS. Not sure if you were referring to that.. but yeah.

I do agree with you tho, that most of these rules appear because of otakus being weird-ass beings.

I am an otaku, so I'll give my side of the story. I understand the 'no date' policy. If fans know an idol is in a relationship, they'll not be as interested. We like to think we've got a chance with her, even when we don't. Its all part of the fantasy. I've bought Rame's signature bass pick & have it on a necklace. Most idols know the rules & policies before they decide to become an idol. So all seems fair. As for the Ramen question, maybe some groups don't allow their idol's to eat ramen, but I think its fairly relaxed on the whole

I don't think otaku are the only ones who obsess over their favorite Japanese... whatever it may be, because this isn't something restricted to Jpop. Many female VRock fans also think, "Such and such member of such and such band is mine" as well, and VRock bands aren't really considered "idols". Also, Kpop groups have a following that are generally more obsessive than JPop and VRock combined.

Personally, I love anime/manga and videogames very much, but don't really much care for Jpop. The genre I listen to is mostly VRock, and outside of VRock, I listen to metal, techno, and videogame soundtracks, as well as some movie soundtracks. I also believe that VRock bands will do whatever the hell they want in the end, and these deluded people should get over themselves, but unfortunately, as previously mentioned, most female "fans" are deluded.

They get fired because they break their contracts. That is the price of fame in Japan.

please explain to me because this seems a bit..well a whole lot wierd to me.

so... the basic idea is, that there, apperantly, is so huge number of these hardcore fans who in their minds "are dating" these celebreties, so the companies include in contracts these points about the idol not beeing allowed dating? just so not to hurt their fan feelings? :eek:
and..like. its normal?
P.S then there is one more thing...ive seen those human size pillows with anime girl characters on them that fans have...so. its like everyday occurence for a guy (fan) to have one also?

dont take these questions the wrong way. just trying to understand the culture that im going to study. :vsign:

Depending on the talent agency, an idol is hired to not only be simply a singer or dancer, but a complete image. Sometimes that image includes a reputation of purity and innocence. For that reason the contract they sign may require they are not seen in public on a date. This is kind of like when American pop singers become spokespeople for Pepsi, so they sign a contract saying they won't be caught drinking Coke.

This is done to protect the idol's image. I think it is a stretch to say it is done for fans with over-active imaginations.

It is not an "everyday occurrence" for people to own those strange pillows. They are reserved for hardcore otaku, and are considered incredibly weird and creepy by most people in Japan.

ok. thanks for clearing that up :vsign:

Personally I think it's a good idea to basically eliminate drama and scandal. It's not particularly fair on the idol, but when they are given a contract they have a choice - to sign or not to sign!

Considering most of the idols are very young anyway, I'd imagine most of them aren't interested in boyfriends. Not when they have a whole load of other things to be doing.

This kind of reminds me of the squeaky clean image Blue Peter presenters supposed to have had, lol.

Fans of idols do behave rather oddly possessive, though. It's something I can't quite understand.

@MissMisa - You mention the clean image of Blue Peter presenters, and I immediately thought of an 'Armstrong & Miller' sketch. (For those not affiliated with British comedy, 'Armstrong & Miller' are a double act that have a TV show full of different sketches. Its very funny.)

YouTube - Armstrong & Miller - An Apology

@evanny & MMM - Wow. I didn't know such pillows existed. I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the info (^_^)

LMAO, I've seen that, it's amazing. Funnily enough I seem to remember an apology like that, I think it was about the scandal involving a fake phone-in competition.

Uhhh.... are you referring to Visual Kei? or.. Vietnamese rock or? I'm gonna go with Visual Kei..

And I'd say you are COMPLETELY off with that. Visual Kei artists are seen just as much as idols as any members of a jpop group - genre doesn't change role. The 'switch' in matter is generally determined from how the needs change per genre.. If you watch concerts, you'll notice that just like jpop fans go crazy over their groups - VK fans go crazy too.

I think that you believe your beloved VK artists do whatever they want, because that's the image of them that you have. You see them as this 'breakout' from the Hollywood tendency that we all know so well - while in reality they are just as enslaved as actors in the jpop/kpop scene.

Lol, I don't think you can get much more obssessive than otaku...

I agree with you, for the most part. Almost every celebrity is significantly influenced by the public... despite whether their image portrays them as rebels. In fact, acting like rebels, in some cases, is directly resulted from attempting to hook the audience. But that's another discussion.

Though, I think your use of the word 'enslaved' is a little harsh. These people made their decision to be subject to such scrutiny when they signed the contract. It seems like a very hard life, but I'm sure it doesn't go entirely without its pleasurable fruits -- especially if they genuinely love what they're doing.

Actually, "enslaved" is not as far off as you might think. I am thinking of Johnny's Entertainment Group which represents all-boy bands. The individual compensation is surprisingly low, and 20 hour days are commonplace. Days off are few and far between.

Yes, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say it was too far from the mark either.
I was actually looking more at the literal implications of the term.

I found they pillows. They look cool. I also read about a Korean guy who married his

It remind me of when Hide (X) died in 1998, 4 girls commited suicide and 2 succeed. I remember that it's the beginning of the end for VK scene (temporarily). After that Luna Sea disband, Glay and L'arc became less visual, until 4 or 5 years ago when Alice Nine, Nightmare, Gazette or whatever Oshare band brought more attention to the genre. After this X and Luna Sea made their come back. Bravo!

Explain. You misunderstood me, because you reiterated everything I said.

The reason why I say they are not really viewed as idols is because the VROCK scene is actually not that big in Japan, and I'm thinking in terms of the general public. Also, I wrote "aren't really considered idols", not "they are NOT idols". They are only idols to their fans, and again, the VROCK scene isn't as big in Japan as some people think it is(I used to think this way too, until the president of Cure Media USA said that it's not really big there, and I'm sure he knows what he's talking about).

Also, Gackt is JPopish, and apparently, he is(or was? I don't know, I don't pay attention to Gackt)getting married. Miyavi was seeing somebody, and when he got her pregnant and married her, everybody reacted.... in a very interesting manner. And he was signed on to PSC!! So as I said, I'm sure that VROCK band members, and not just them but anybody and everybody else will do whatever the hell they want in the end.You can think wrongly about me and my opinion and why I have them, I don't really care, but please read carefully before you start putting words in my mouth and thoughts in my head that were never there just because of what you've seen elsewhere, I'm not whatever you think I am.

Thank you for everyone's comments. I still hope that it will be changed in the future. It's a bit cruel to treat idols like cash-cow for milking. I think they're performer like the other, like pro wrestler, pianoist, sumo wrestler etc.

Qayin, I think that AV idols that get milked. lol. joke. Its perhaps unfair, but I understand & accept it. Its better this way :)

You can't just say that VK artists "aren't really idols", just because the VK scene is significantly smaller than jpop. That's just ridiculous. That's like saying that a cat isn't ACTUALLY a cat, because tigers and lions are bigger animals of the same kind.
Of course they're only idols to their fans..? Doh? All artists have their own fan base. How is that statement even relevant? You're just stating the obvious. Of course Miyavi (as an example) is my idol, if I'm a fan of his and I really admire him. I highly doubt that any sane person would consider anyone an 'idol' if they didn't feel some sort of admiration towards them - call it fandom or w/e.

If you don't even follow Gackt - why use him as an example? Not really air-tight, is it?
Also.. Miyavi kept it secret - for a reason. Miyavi's most likely NOT stupid and therefore he's not gonna run around bragging about every female whose legs he spread recently. Miyavi was smart enough to announce it all at once.. Kinda like repeatedly punching his fans in the face with info. "I'm gonna take out all my piercings and grow up" + "I'm dating melody. and she's pregnant btw!" + "Oh and btw, we got married too!".. That way there's isn't much to do about it. If he just came out 'Oh... I'm kinda seeing this girl' then I think many obsessive fans would flip. But by doing it the way he did, there was no turning back.

Why would I think ANYTHING about you? I don't even know you. And stop pulling back just because you can't take the heat. Seriously.. I never put anything in your mouth. I'm simply replying to your entries in the discussion. If you're not good with criticism or any form of feedback in general - simply don't post.

Since when did GazettE and Nightmare become Oshare? O_O

Not really.. Many of both jpop/kpop and Vk artists enter their scenes at a very young age. They're SO easy to manipulate because their biggest dream in life is to make music and perform. Labels see these young aspiring talents and sign them for YEARS pumping them for all they got.. Youngsters with dreams are easy to screw over, because all they wanna do is make music and play it.

damn this is all new to me. i guess i hadn't really thought about the dating part on musicians. but reading the responses i guess it makes sense. but still, must be lonely.

I've just thought, here, in the west, we have celebrity gossip. Of course, Japan will too (sports stars, actresses, actors etc.) but will they talk about idols & musicians in the same light? Or will they only be mentioned if they do wrong? (i.e. get caught dating)

I think it's pretty much the same.. All types of media love to gossip, so I doubt that the Japanese located ones are any different : /

yeah but at the end of the day its up to them if they stay with it - if they dont like it then they can simply leave.

It's not that simple. As I've explained before, many of them are on year-long contracts. ''Just leaving'' is in violation of contract and will get them a lawsuit on their hands.. There was just a big incident with this problem in Korea, where DBSK had to break into two groups because they were signed for 7 or 13 years or something and 3 of them wanted out. It became a HUGE mess and they ended up splitting in two devastating a lot of fans and themselves.

How would I get involved in a courtship relationship with a young lady, as opposed to the modern secular conception of dating?

Do I ask her family before I even ask her out on a first date? Do we only go places with friends or with a chaperone? How does it work? I'm intrigued, and I really don't like the dating process, but don't know how this alternative would work.