Nogizaka 46 romance simulator is an odd mix of daydream fantasy and unintentional cynicism.
J-Pop (Page 7)
Amid tension between countries in East Asia, techno dance group World Order travels to China to promote their message of peace in their latest music video.
You can probably tell which stations they’ll be played at, but can you guess which songs have been chosen?
Suit tossed out of Tokyo district court in rare win for idols’ romantic freedom.
The five members of the popular group appeared sombre during their special television appearance last night.
Reports indicate that the five-man vocal group’s 25-year stint in the Japanese spotlight is about to come to a close.
Are you a fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu? Then perhaps you’ll like her new “little sister” Hamada Bamyu Bamyu, Japan’s latest quirky pop sensation.
With gigantic casts of characters who are groomed to become fan favorites, what’s not to love? Did your favorite idol anime make the list?
J-pop vocalists dress up as Miss Claus.
The famed Hollywood director was ready to set his phaser to “idol.”
Because why stop at 40 pieces when you could order 48, or just keep going into quadruple digits to really support your favorite Japanese idol singer?
Java sparrows are pretty popular pets in Japan, where they’re called buncho. But even though buncho literally means “literature bird,” some of the cute little creatures apparently have more of a gift for music, like in this video of one Java sparrow dancing adorably to the sounds of one of Japan’s most popular rock bands and singing along like he’s at karaoke.
The world’s biggest virtual idol is returning to the U.S. on a new concert tour, and also making her Canadian performance debut.
In Japan, there truly is an all-singing, all-dancing “idol” group for everything. From plus-sized beauties to macho men and octogenarians, if you’ve got a unique message and a catchy tune, there’ll be a niche audience out there waiting to share your next video and dance along with glow sticks at your next performance.
Just when we thought the happy-go-lucky, free-for-all nature of the amateur idol world had no boundaries, it seems there is one line that can’t be crossed: schoolgirls and religion. Meet the “Num-Num Girls”, a Buddhism-based schoolgirl pop group that has been shut down for becoming too popular.
It’s widely known in Japan that idol singers are often contractually prohibited from engaging in romantic relationships. The reasoning goes that if word gets out that an idol singer has a boyfriend, her fans will feel betrayed that she isn’t solely devoted to her role as a musician and entertainer, and thus stop buying her CDs (there’s also the unspoken implication that openly dating someone will destroy the fantasies of individual fans that would like to date the singer themselves).
A signed contract isn’t always enough to keep young love and hormones in check, though. And when you consider that idols are almost always attractive, outgoing young women, it seems like it should be only a matter of time until they find a guy they fancy out of their swarms of would-be suitors. That’s why in addition to legal pledges not to date, the Japanese entertainment industry has a number of sneaky tactics up its sleeve to prevent its idols from falling in love or going on a single date.
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