1461 replies to this topic

[ItsudemoAibon]

Well, I sure would like to see proof of how much the fandom DEMANDS that their idols remain virginal and how much that affects company revenue. I've never seen any polling on the subject.

I suspect the answer is that some do feel that way and mostly others don't, less so when the idol in question hits her middle twenties when a dating ban seems to be absurd by that point. There's a world of difference between a 23-year old Sayubee having a boyfriend than an 18-year old Kirara having one.

That being said, if the "no boyfriend" clause in in the contracts and the idols willingly sign the contracts then consequences will fall where they will, regardless of what the public thinks (which is my way of reiterating it's actually the fault of thecompany, not the fans.)

Adding some fuel to the fire, perhaps some remember when this happened?

https://completemusi...constitutional/

[Greyface]

Saying "where's the proof" while openly admitting that you have none of your own?  I don't have proof via an open poll of idol fans, or J=J fans, or of Takagi fans, or of the public at large.

 

I have an impression of "the fandom."  That's all.  I've told you what that impression is.  If you don't share that impression, I can't transfer it to you.  If you do share the impression but don't share the conclusions, I'm all ears.

 

In Takagi's own words, **"今の芸能界って恋愛できなかったりとか" ("In the entertainment industry these days, you can't have a love life and things like that.")  And you certainly can read that as "In my particular employment contract I wasn't able to have a love life."  I don't.

** https://news.yahoo.c...96a5b79acd77d62

[Ahornbjörn]

^here's the text for all europeans

From Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Yahoo! JAPAN (and all services like auctions, gyao etc) is no longer available in the EEA and the United Kingdom)

 

 

Former Juice=Juice member Sayuki Takagi quits idol career to become president: 'I want to pursue entertainment more freely'.

12 Apr (Tue) 15:00

 

　The Hello! Project idol group Juice=Juice's former member Sayuki Takagi (24) posted a video on her YouTube channel on 11 April, reporting that she had set up 'Anone Co.

 

[Video] Sayuki Takagi revealed on YouTube that she is going to be the president of the company.

 

　Takagi joined Halo Pro Egg (now Halo Pro Trainees) in November 2009; in February 2001, she was selected as a member of Juice=Juice, which was formed by trainees and made its major debut in September of the same year; in June 2007, she became the second sub-leader of the group; in February 2009, she was announced as the president of Bunshun Online. In February 2009, it was announced that she would end her activities with Juice=Juice and Halo Pro following a report in Bunshun Online that she was in a romantic relationship with singer-songwriter Yuri. She then terminated her contract with her agency on 31 March of the same year.

 

　Takagi posted a video titled 'I've decided to quit being an idol and become the president.' She posted a video titled 'I've decided to quit being an idol and become the president. 'Today I have an announcement to make to you all. I, Sayuki Takagi, have decided to become the president. I am very grateful for all the advertisements and TV appearances I have received. I was taught how to sing and dance by professionals in each field. I didn't know what was right and what was left, but I was able to learn everything from one to ten, which I really appreciated.

 

　I was really grateful for that." "But there are a lot of things in the company that are unreasonable or unsatisfactory," he began, "In the entertainment industry today, you can't fall in love or freely express what you want. I wanted to pursue entertainment more freely, which was something I had been thinking about for a while, so I decided to set up my own company. 'The company will be my management company. I hope to do what I can do at the moment, such as music and YouTube distribution.

 

　By letting various people know about my activities, I wanted to prove that 'even if you don't join an agency with a foundation, if you work hard from scratch, results will come! I wanted to prove that you don't need to join a foundation agency, but you can get results if you work hard from scratch. I want to create a new form of entertainment in my own way", and "Also, I have a strong feeling in my heart that there are children who are currently in an agency but want to 'do more of this kind of thing by themselves' or 'do this kind of thing freely'. I hope it will be a place for those who are struggling to find the courage to quit.

 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

Spoiler

元Juice=Juice高木紗友希、アイドル辞めて社長に　「もっと自由にエンタメを追求したい」と本音

4/12(火) 15:00配信

 

　ハロー！プロジェクトのアイドルグループ・Juice=Juiceの元メンバー・高木紗友希（24）が11日、自身のYouTubeチャンネルに動画を投稿し、「株式会社あのね」を立ち上げ社長となったことを報告した。

 

【動画】YouTubeで社長になることを明かした高木紗友希

 

　高木は2009年11月、ハロプロエッグ（現ハロプロ研修生）に加入。13年2月、研修生で結成されたJuice=Juiceのメンバーに選ばれ、同年9月にメジャーデビューした。19年6月、2代目サブリーダーに就任。21年2月に『文春オンライン』でシンガー・ソングライター優里との熱愛が報じられたことを受け、Juice=Juiceとハロプロの活動を終了することが発表された。そして同3月31日をもって所属事務所との契約を終了した。

 

　高木は『アイドル辞めて社長になることにしました。』と題した動画を投稿。「今日は皆さんにご報告があります。私、高木紗友希、社長になることにしました」と宣言し、「私は今まで芸能事務所に所属していたんですけど、芸能事務所っていうのは土台があるところなので、広告を打っていただいたり、テレビに出演させていただいたり、ありがたい事が本当にたくさんあるんですよ」としみじみ回顧した。「歌もダンスも、各部門のその道のプロの方に教えてもらえる。右も左もわからなかったんですけど、1から10までびっしりと教えてもらうことができたので、それは本当にありがたかったなと思ってます」と語った。

 

　「でも会社っていろんな理不尽とか納得いかない事ってあるじゃないですか」と切り出し、「今の芸能界って恋愛できなかったりとか、自分のしたい発信を自由にすることができなかったりするんですね。もっと自由にエンタメを追求したいなっていうのは前から頭の中で考えていたことだったので、自分で会社を立ち上げようと決めました」と会社設立の経緯を説明。「会社は自分のマネジメント会社になる。今自分ができる音楽だったり、YouTubeの配信とかをしていけたらいいなと思ってます」と明かした。

 

　自身の活動をいろんな人に知ってもらうことにより「土台のある事務所に入らなくても、自分で一から頑張れば結果はついてくるんだ！っていうのを証明したいと思いました。新しい芸能の形を私なりに作っていきたいと思います」とし、「あと私の中に強くあるのがですね、今事務所に所属しているけど『自分でもっとこういうことをしてみたい』とか『自由にこういうことやってみたいな』って思ってる子たち。辞める勇気が出ないと悩んでる子たちの行き場になればいいなと思います」と胸中を吐露した。

[ItsudemoAibon]

Well, my impression, based upon thousands of comments I'VE read (a form of polling, I guess) is that most people are apathetic about the dating rule and see it for the silliness that it is. Where are all the comments, blog posts, YT videos of wota bashing idols who date?

More importantly, where's the data that proves idols dating causes the company to suffer revenue loss?

[Lurkette]

^ Just because no one comments or makes content condemning idols who date does not mean the sentiment does not exist, and there are always plenty of comments on more anonymous platforms like 2ch bashing idols for everything, including dating. Many old school wota who are in support of old school rules prefer anonymity in most of their activities, too, so of course they wouldn't be producing content to loudly broadcast their feelings.

As for the revenue data, that's obviously private and proprietary to the companies so no one but they know the extent to which such decisions affect their bottom line. That said, my suspicion is that the biggest wota spenders are the ones who believe in things like the dating rule, so there is a level of financial repercussion, but with the growing number of fans who don't care about the love ban or other such scandals, that hit is growing smaller and smaller and is certainly not enough for companies to throw away their investments in any given idol. We saw this with 48G, where they went from loudly firing members caught dating to suddenly not commenting on those scandals at all after they got to a particular level of popularity, because it really doesn't make financial sense after a point. A dating scandal might cut your earnings on a given member in half, but half or even less is still better than the 0 you'd from firing her.

Again, this is all supposition on my part, but I'd say there's a reason why H!P tries to keep people, including Sayuki, on as artists even after scandals. They've also overlooked scandals in the past, lest we forget the various photos from Berikyuu and the Factories, more recently. It just doesn't earn anything from a practical, financial perspective to uphold the rule, but there are always fans who want it in place and enforced and there may very well be people in management who agree with them or at least want to appease them. Even if the idol world as a whole is largely moving past the idea of the love ban, H!P is one of the oldest and most traditional of the idol agencies and so it will likely be one of the last holdouts.

[ItsudemoAibon]

Sayubee as Johnny Depp.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTds6UfMq/

[Ahornbjörn]

[ItsudemoAibon]

Just missed Sayubee having dinner.

[ItsudemoAibon]

New video.......that she recorded awhile ago.

[ItsudemoAibon]

Collaboration with former SKE48 and porn star Yua Mikami, who just released a clothing line:

[RoseQuartz+Aina]

[RoseQuartz+Aina]

1 more cover

[RoseQuartz+Aina]

Sayuki changed her hair color. She's no more blond.

 

[Unlimited_DJ]

Sayuki changed her hair color. She's no more blond.

 

 

Thank Goodness, the black hair looks so much better.

[patapataful]

^ Amen!

[sukibeam]

I know I'm supremely late to the conversation, and I hate to drag it up again, but I wanted to offer a real world anecdote from an older K-Pop group and the impacts of an idol being in a private relationship.

 

Spoiler

If you're not familiar with the Korean group Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK) - stylized as Tohoshinki in Japan and TVXQ for worldwide audiences - they've had a pretty tumultuous past when they lost 3 of the more popular members at once, and have been a duo for a little more than a decade. Despite that, they went on to set many records in Japan. They have a very strong and loyal fan base in both Korea and Japan. Reading on fan boards over the years, the reactions to dating, scandal, and even Changmin's marriage news were received with well wishes and support. Looking at sales numbers though? Between his first and second solo albums (April 2020 and January 2022 respectively), Changmin's sales dropped from 109,711 to 34,910 in Korean and from 18,171 to 2,643 in Japan, despite his second album getting more promotion and being arguably far superior in its artistry. What happened in between? He got married and his duo partner Yunho had a COVID-related scandal.

 

Does everyone care about having a "pure" idol? Clearly not. Do the majority of fans internalize it to some degree? Absolutely - especially when there are other options to move one's attentions to. As an idol, one's universal appeal is everything. By dating/marrying/being in a scandal, you reduce your potential fan base and money earned from their purchases. That's entertainment 101.

 

Do I understand why a business would want a dating ban to maximize a new idol group's appeal? Of course. Do I agree with a policy being part of one's contract well into their mid-20's? No way. Do I think one must accept the consequences of their actions, especially if they willingly signed an unreasonable agreement? Sure do. 

[Junguh]

I know I'm supremely late to the conversation, and I hate to drag it up again, but I wanted to offer a real world anecdote from an older K-Pop group and the impacts of an idol being in a private relationship.

 

Spoiler

If you're not familiar with the Korean group Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK) - stylized as Tohoshinki in Japan and TVXQ for worldwide audiences - they've had a pretty tumultuous past when they lost 3 of the more popular members at once, and have been a duo for a little more than a decade. Despite that, they went on to set many records in Japan. They have a very strong and loyal fan base in both Korea and Japan. Reading on fan boards over the years, the reactions to dating, scandal, and even Changmin's marriage news were received with well wishes and support. Looking at sales numbers though? Between his first and second solo albums (April 2020 and January 2022 respectively), Changmin's sales dropped from 109,711 to 34,910 in Korean and from 18,171 to 2,643 in Japan, despite his second album getting more promotion and being arguably far superior in its artistry. What happened in between? He got married and his duo partner Yunho had a COVID-related scandal.

 

Does everyone care about having a "pure" idol? Clearly not. Do the majority of fans internalize it to some degree? Absolutely - especially when there are other options to move one's attentions to. As an idol, one's universal appeal is everything. By dating/marrying/being in a scandal, you reduce your potential fan base and money earned from their purchases. That's entertainment 101.

 

Do I understand why a business would want a dating ban to maximize a new idol group's appeal? Of course. Do I agree with a policy being part of one's contract well into their mid-20's? No way. Do I think one must accept the consequences of their actions, especially if they willingly signed an unreasonable agreement? Sure do. 

Well said, thx for sharing. It's interesting to read it like that. That is exactly me... I'm don't care if an Idol date. I think it's part of being young and is an important experience. I would never want them to stay "pure". But even if I think that I can't help it but be happier never knowing they are dating someone (while being an active idol).

[ItsudemoAibon]

And so it begins!

According to her own Twitter and Instagram, Sayubee has scored the closing theme gig for the upcoming TBS drama "Brother Trap" which also has Duu as one of its stars.

And now media outlet Barks picked up the story, even explaining how she got the gig.

https://www.barks.jp...ampaign=tw_auto

[RoseQuartz+Aina]

[ItsudemoAibon]

Awesome! I hope this is the break she deserves. Perhaps, w/o big management to really promote her, a chance to do OST work leads to more opportunities and then some gigs.

If I were in Japan, I'd start a booking agency/management company and snatch up all these loose former H!P/UF artists like Sayubee, Aibon, Masae Ohtani, Aina Hashimoto, Ayapan and produce shows with all them on the bill.