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International Fans & Culture issues Part II / The Minegishi Minami "Scandal"
Posted by JaeJoo,
02 February 2013
·
1171 views
Culture random ABK48 Minegishi Minami
I’m not an AKB fan. Far from it. I know more about the ***48s that I would like, but that’s just because I’m a curious person and because I need to know what and who I’m talking about when I need to talk about those things.
But I think that just recently, the group has gotten much attention… in a bad way. Bad things seem to keep happening to the group and until like a few hours ago I didn’t care. But I think no one can stay unconcerned when it comes to Minegishi Minami’s scandal and turn out of events.
Once again, a good display of East-Asian culture has been showed and a good display of lack of knowledge and understanding from international fans too. This is why I’m making a second “cultural” blog entry.
I’m going to make that post a little more personal, since… I can.
Maybe some of you don’t know about AKB. I don’t know much more than you. But today I watched the documentary about their debut days. Mostly focusing on first generation and AKB’s beginnings. If you didn’t know, Minegishi Minami is a first generation member, a founder member of the group. She’s been into the group since 2006. Way before the glitz and the glam and the fame. She was an amateur girl dreaming to become an idol. She followed Akimoto without even knowing what was awaiting her. The AKB Theater, at first, wasn’t sold out every night. They even performed in front of empty crowds. But they kept going. They cried, they wanted to quit, many of them did, but some of them kept going. The “panties showing girls”, that’s how people would name them. How hurtful it must have been… I can’t even imagine it. Their hard work was never recognized. The group was made from scratch. New girls joined right before the first single and, them too, experienced the hardships. Nobody wanted them on TV shows, in magazines, nobody cared. Even their apparition in Kohaku in 2007 was mere luck. And instead of the usual 3 minutes, they got 95 seconds.
They were on the verge of disbanding when their breaking hit “River” was released. It was a do or die. But they got lucky. Lucky that this song that was written for them made them to the general public. Their first #1… the first of many. The rest is history.
Now, tell me how would you feel as a founder member of this group? As one of the few who hasn’t given up, who believed, pushed harder, harder than you could even think you could? Proud. Sure. Very proud. Every achievement, every award, every number one, everything would be like a reward for your hard work.
And even as a non fan of AKB, I feel like those girls deserve it all. The fame, the glitz, the rewards, the awards…
So now, we have Minegishi and this scandal. How do you think this girl would feel now with everything that I have said? A scandal is bad for a group. It’s not just hurting your own image, but also the group itself.
Please, remember that we are in Japan, not in America or Europe. Remember also that this is not Korea. Although most idols in South Korea also have this no dating rule, in Japan idols are even more “untouchable” than the one in SK. We can often hear K-idols talking about their first loves and stuff, but a J-idol would never do that. Also K-idols are really seen as… idols. Perfection, model for the youngsters, people who are supposed to be perfect and looked up to. In Japan, idols are more like… Supposed to bring power and happiness to the nation (they should help hardworking citizen relieve their stress through their music, their smile and their presence pretty much). That’s why they cannot have a relationship as they should devote themselves to the nation/their fans and that cannot be done if they are someone’s “propriety”/girlfriend. In theory that’s what k and j idols are for and why they are different.
I’m not saying that the no dating policy is good and the punishment for it is good too. No, I’m just explaining why it is so strict.
Basically, being into any kind of… relationship would make the devotion to the nation and the fans impossible. Fans to whom the groups are in debt truthfully. Because who freaking buys 1M copies of a single? Yeah, fans. Who freaking makes you or breaks you in the elections? Yeah fans. Who made it possible for the first generation to go from underrated amateurs to super-idols? Yeah, fans!
As Westerners, we don’t have this… strong sense of gratefulness, nor this strong sense of shame when we do bad things. I mean, just look at our celebrities; DUI, sex tapes, scandals, drugs, alcohol. Do they ever apologize to their fans and feel ashamed in front of them when they do those reckless things? Of course not.
After putting all those pieces together, I think I kind of get how Minami must have felt when she saw her scandal. With everything that has been going on in the ***48s these days (mostly scandals and graduations), the fact that a founder member would bring yet another scandal probably made her feel really bad. Bad in front of her first gen mates, bad in front of her kouhai (remember, she’s the senpai of every single ***48 members/research student there is… who aren’t first gens), in front of the staff, in front of her superiors, in front of her fans.
Almost a year ago, Block B’s member Zico shaved his hair after their scandal to show that he was remorseful. It was his personal choice and I think it was also Minami’s personal choice, or more like way to react to this bomb that had exploded in her face. I sincerely don’t think she’s been asked to do it. She simply did it as a way to show that she is ashamed of what she has done. Remember this is Japan; strong sense of shame when you do something wrong. She probably feels like she has dug a hole for AKB’s grave by adding another scandal (right before the announcement of yet another founder member of AKB… Okay maybe we did see this announcement coming, but Tomochin leaving is yet another part of history of AKB leaving… The pressure must be even higher for the few 1rst gen left).
With this, I have a new found respect for AKB’s first generation. They are strong women, beautiful women, who have experienced so much, who have been through hell and have kept believing in their dreams. They have love for this group. They have made this group. They probably feel like a mother to their child when they think of AKB. They must be proud of them, proud of what they have achieved and Minegishi Minami has proved us the strong love that they have for this group.
Sadly, if she hadn’t reacted the way she had, things would’ve probably gotten out of control and she would’ve received hate and critics for not taking responsibility for her actions in front of the public/fans/co-workers.
For a Westerner, what she did hurts to see, makes us mad. But all I can see, through the eyes of this complicated yet beautiful and interesting culture, is this beautiful Japanese girl who has faced yet another hardship and taken responsibility for her actions with dignity.
“Advance forward! (Got it!)
Don’t you dare to halt! (Got it!)
Our aim is that place where the sun rise
Walk on the path of hope!
[…]
Throw away all your doubts!
Show your willpower!
Don’t hesitate!
Immediately
One step forward! Believe in yourself!”
But I think that just recently, the group has gotten much attention… in a bad way. Bad things seem to keep happening to the group and until like a few hours ago I didn’t care. But I think no one can stay unconcerned when it comes to Minegishi Minami’s scandal and turn out of events.
Once again, a good display of East-Asian culture has been showed and a good display of lack of knowledge and understanding from international fans too. This is why I’m making a second “cultural” blog entry.
I’m going to make that post a little more personal, since… I can.
Maybe some of you don’t know about AKB. I don’t know much more than you. But today I watched the documentary about their debut days. Mostly focusing on first generation and AKB’s beginnings. If you didn’t know, Minegishi Minami is a first generation member, a founder member of the group. She’s been into the group since 2006. Way before the glitz and the glam and the fame. She was an amateur girl dreaming to become an idol. She followed Akimoto without even knowing what was awaiting her. The AKB Theater, at first, wasn’t sold out every night. They even performed in front of empty crowds. But they kept going. They cried, they wanted to quit, many of them did, but some of them kept going. The “panties showing girls”, that’s how people would name them. How hurtful it must have been… I can’t even imagine it. Their hard work was never recognized. The group was made from scratch. New girls joined right before the first single and, them too, experienced the hardships. Nobody wanted them on TV shows, in magazines, nobody cared. Even their apparition in Kohaku in 2007 was mere luck. And instead of the usual 3 minutes, they got 95 seconds.
They were on the verge of disbanding when their breaking hit “River” was released. It was a do or die. But they got lucky. Lucky that this song that was written for them made them to the general public. Their first #1… the first of many. The rest is history.
Now, tell me how would you feel as a founder member of this group? As one of the few who hasn’t given up, who believed, pushed harder, harder than you could even think you could? Proud. Sure. Very proud. Every achievement, every award, every number one, everything would be like a reward for your hard work.
And even as a non fan of AKB, I feel like those girls deserve it all. The fame, the glitz, the rewards, the awards…
So now, we have Minegishi and this scandal. How do you think this girl would feel now with everything that I have said? A scandal is bad for a group. It’s not just hurting your own image, but also the group itself.
Please, remember that we are in Japan, not in America or Europe. Remember also that this is not Korea. Although most idols in South Korea also have this no dating rule, in Japan idols are even more “untouchable” than the one in SK. We can often hear K-idols talking about their first loves and stuff, but a J-idol would never do that. Also K-idols are really seen as… idols. Perfection, model for the youngsters, people who are supposed to be perfect and looked up to. In Japan, idols are more like… Supposed to bring power and happiness to the nation (they should help hardworking citizen relieve their stress through their music, their smile and their presence pretty much). That’s why they cannot have a relationship as they should devote themselves to the nation/their fans and that cannot be done if they are someone’s “propriety”/girlfriend. In theory that’s what k and j idols are for and why they are different.
I’m not saying that the no dating policy is good and the punishment for it is good too. No, I’m just explaining why it is so strict.
Basically, being into any kind of… relationship would make the devotion to the nation and the fans impossible. Fans to whom the groups are in debt truthfully. Because who freaking buys 1M copies of a single? Yeah, fans. Who freaking makes you or breaks you in the elections? Yeah fans. Who made it possible for the first generation to go from underrated amateurs to super-idols? Yeah, fans!
As Westerners, we don’t have this… strong sense of gratefulness, nor this strong sense of shame when we do bad things. I mean, just look at our celebrities; DUI, sex tapes, scandals, drugs, alcohol. Do they ever apologize to their fans and feel ashamed in front of them when they do those reckless things? Of course not.
After putting all those pieces together, I think I kind of get how Minami must have felt when she saw her scandal. With everything that has been going on in the ***48s these days (mostly scandals and graduations), the fact that a founder member would bring yet another scandal probably made her feel really bad. Bad in front of her first gen mates, bad in front of her kouhai (remember, she’s the senpai of every single ***48 members/research student there is… who aren’t first gens), in front of the staff, in front of her superiors, in front of her fans.
Almost a year ago, Block B’s member Zico shaved his hair after their scandal to show that he was remorseful. It was his personal choice and I think it was also Minami’s personal choice, or more like way to react to this bomb that had exploded in her face. I sincerely don’t think she’s been asked to do it. She simply did it as a way to show that she is ashamed of what she has done. Remember this is Japan; strong sense of shame when you do something wrong. She probably feels like she has dug a hole for AKB’s grave by adding another scandal (right before the announcement of yet another founder member of AKB… Okay maybe we did see this announcement coming, but Tomochin leaving is yet another part of history of AKB leaving… The pressure must be even higher for the few 1rst gen left).
With this, I have a new found respect for AKB’s first generation. They are strong women, beautiful women, who have experienced so much, who have been through hell and have kept believing in their dreams. They have love for this group. They have made this group. They probably feel like a mother to their child when they think of AKB. They must be proud of them, proud of what they have achieved and Minegishi Minami has proved us the strong love that they have for this group.
Sadly, if she hadn’t reacted the way she had, things would’ve probably gotten out of control and she would’ve received hate and critics for not taking responsibility for her actions in front of the public/fans/co-workers.
For a Westerner, what she did hurts to see, makes us mad. But all I can see, through the eyes of this complicated yet beautiful and interesting culture, is this beautiful Japanese girl who has faced yet another hardship and taken responsibility for her actions with dignity.
“Advance forward! (Got it!)
Don’t you dare to halt! (Got it!)
Our aim is that place where the sun rise
Walk on the path of hope!
[…]
Throw away all your doubts!
Show your willpower!
Don’t hesitate!
Immediately
One step forward! Believe in yourself!”
Very happy I read this. Thanks.