“The Way of the Idol” by Inohara Yoshihiko, Chapter 2 (2002)
This piece is taken from a collection of essays by Inhoara Yoshihiko titled, アイドル武者修行 (Idol Mushsha-Shugyo), which translates to something like The Way of the Idol, deliberately echoing a martial arts movie (or Klingon episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), e.g. “Way of the Warrior.” These essays were originally serialized in the industry magazine 日経エンタテインメント! (Nikkei Entertainment!) before being collected and published in book form.
Mr. Inohara was a member of the Johnny’s & Associates group V6 (1995-2021) and has since been promoted to management within the company. By all accounts (and by “all” I mean A.B.C-Z’s Totsuka Shota), Mr. Inohara (fondly known as “Inocchi” to fans and co-workers alike) is well-respected by his juniors in the industry. He joined Johnny’s & Associates at 12-years old, eventually dropping out of high school to devote more time to work. Despite the lack of formal schooling, you can get a sense of Mr. Inohara’s determination and his sharp mind in these essays. (He would eventually get his high school diploma in 2005, at 29-years old.)
I haven’t discussed V6 very much on this blog but they were a very popular six-member idol group. (Readers familiar with Japanese cinema have probably seen V6 member Okada Junichi in films such as The Fable (available on Netflix.)) During the time that these essays were written, the group would have been known for energetic, boyish pop music, such as “Darling” (2003), as well as members’ individual acting in popular television dramas and appearances on variety shows.
Some important context for this essay is that the relationship between Japan and Korea can be difficult. In living memory Korea was a colony of Japan and, understandably, there is a lot of resentment. Japanese cultural products have even been banned at times in Korea so it was a big deal for a Japanese idol group to be invited to perform. However, Japan is also a major market for Korean goods and vice-versa so businesses on both sides of the Sea of Japan/East Sea have had to find ways of working together, especially during the World Cup year of 2002 in which the countries jointly hosted the tournament.
The Dream Concert referenced in the article is an annual concert put on by the Korea Entertainment Producer's Association. When it first began in 1995, the concert was more broadly focused on popular music in Korea but today it’s essentially become a K-Pop showcase. (Wa-da-da!) In 2002, V6 would have been sharing a stage with SM Entertainment groups like S.E.S, Shinwha, and Black Beat, JYP powerhouse g.o.d., DSP’s Click-B, and various solo singers including members of the then-disbanded DSP group Sechs Kies.
I don’t believe there’s been another Japanese group invited to perform in the 20 years since V6 took the stage at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul in 2002. That alone should give a sense of the atmosphere in Korea towards Japanese acts but it also demonstrates how popular V6 really were not just in Japan but all around East Asia. If we have to have one Japanese group, make it V6.
I was flipping through these essays again after watching the recent BBC documentary on Johnny Kitagawa and this one caught my eye. I thought it was worth translating because not only is this era overlooked in contemporary Kpop writing but I feel like too often idol fans silo off Korea and Japan into these separate spheres but as you’ll read that’s not really the case. Idols (and idol companies) are well aware of what their competition is doing, whether they’re in Seoul or Tokyo.
Some of the things Mr. Inohara mentions remain true today (Korean idols are still more conservatively dressed compared to their Japanese counterparts) while others have become less true. Certainly Korean idol groups like BTS prove that personality can be a big driver of fans to Korean idols today while Johnny’s & Associates groups like SixTones are lauded for their vocal ability.
As always, I took the text from my own personal copy of the print book. This is meant for personal entertainment only. DO NOT COPY OR REPUBLISH. I am not a professional translator and do this for fun and for language practice.
I don’t believe V6’s set has been included in the official releases of the 2002 concert (for various reasons) but you can watch it here.
2. The ways in which Japanese and Korean idols are different.
During the World Cup, the sense of distance between Japan and Korea has shrunk. It’s the same in the entertainment sphere. I’ve had an increasing number of chances to work with Koreans and even performed in a play jointly produced by Japan and Korea, An East Asian Love Tragedy [東亜悲恋, Touahiren] in 2001. And so, I will speak candidly on the differences between Japanese and Korean idols from my vantage point.
In April 2002, a prestigious thing happened to V6, we were the first Japanese artists to be invited to the biggest Korean music event, the “Dream Concert.” To give you an introduction, in Korea, Japanese language songs can’t legally be sold and they are still forbidden from appearing on television. (Footnote 1) Even though we’d had all sorts of experiences up to that point, we were still pretty nervous when we received an invitation from that country.
This event gathered Korea’s top idols together under one roof and there were something like 75,000 fans in attendance! In Korea, there’s been an unprecedented hip hop boom and in 1999 everybody seems to have changed direction, even previously active groups. If you want to hear something on the down low, it feels like now they’re in the process of moving from hip hop to R&B. We felt it as we entered 2000, even in Japan, and Korea was no different.
Overall I’d say that Korean idols are talented singers. That’s why it’s okay to have idol singers belting out R&B songs. In Japan, I think that even if you aren’t that great at singing, you can make up for it with your personality and character. But in Korea, if you can’t hack it vocally, then you’re out of luck. You won’t even be able to debut.
There’s something else that I thought was interesting. Whether it was a soloist or a group, or even a rock act, at the end of the song there was a dance break. But even that was good. When I was watching the dances, I became curious about who was going to be doing the trick move* but the artists did it themselves.
What I mean is, there are a lot of groups who, for the climatic trick move, will have the members all kneel down in back while a backdancer performs the trick. For example, in breakdance there is a revolving move called a “windmill” and another one that uses the floor as a pommel horse called a “flare”. Among dancers these are said to be difficult skills. They are fast moves. And they also take considerable athletic ability.
Within such a superb assemblage, in 2002, at the time, the top act was the five member boy group called g.o.d. (Gee-Oh-Dee). Then came Shinhwa**, a six member boy group. Neither group has flashy stage costumes. They wear suits. And like SMAP, they appear to have good chemistry as a team. Previously there was an incredibly big group called H.O.T. but unfortunately they disbanded. (Footnote 2) Today, the members are soloists.
I was also surprised at the attention to protocol. Because Korea is a Confucian country, no matter who has become the top idol, “respect your elders” is a rule that is never broken. Even though the young people don’t look different from Japan’s youth, there is a real difference. Even backstage I saw this.
Shoo, from the girl group S.E.S. (Footnote 3) was also there. I had previously worked with her in a play. After a press conference for the play, I heard her manager call her over and speak harshly to her. Because they weren’t exactly being quiet, I listened in thinking, “What’s the matter?” She was getting scolded for calling me “Inohara-kun.” Shoo is five years younger than me. We felt like “same age friends” but in Korea, it’s frowned upon to call an older person “-kun”. Meanwhile I don’t even mind if people call me “Inocchi”...
And then, the local staff told us, “Idols should be smartly dressed and there’s no joking around.” The reason was “So nobody can mock you.” It’s not like that in Japan. If I did my usual “Comăneci” gag*** the local staff would have told me to knock it off. For a somebody like me known for the Comăneci gag, that’s a real problem…
Keeping a good image is very important for us as well, but the line is much, much stricter in Korea. However recently it seems like Japanese-style idols, who are less stiff, are also becoming popular.
But those warrior idols are also now gradually making their way to Japan. Even we might need to watch our backs. Therefore, we’ll need to use all our abilities to the utmost. That’s probably dancing, performance, and other fields. But relying on an air headed act that makes fans yell out, “CUTE!!!!!” just won’t cut it. From here on out, we’ll need to be aware of how “Japanese idols” are seen from outside and use our power to survive.
(July 2002)
Author’s footnotes:
Footnote 1: Beginning on January 1, 2004, the prohibition was lifted on sales of Japanese CDs. In October of that year, a V6 CD was released.
Footnote 2: H.O.T. was a five member group who debuted in 1996. It’s short for High Five of Teenagers. At the time they disbanded in 2001, fans were threatening to commit suicide.
Footnote 3: S.E.S. were a three member, female dance unit. They also debuted in Japan but disbanded in 2002.
Translator’s footnotes
* Mr. Inohara uses 大技 (oowaza) here which I’ve translated as “trick move.” The dictionary says it’s a term used in judo and sumo although I didn’t see any evidence of that. But I did see it used in reference to what I believe are called “tricks” in hip hop dancing so I went with that.
** Shinhwa were originally formed by SM Entertainment in the model of V6. I will forever lament that V6 never covered “Perfect Man.”
*** The コマネチ gag was popularized by Beat Takeshi. You may have seen it before if you’ve seen a Japanese variety show. It where you kind of flare out your legs and frame your crotch with your hands. Please watch a demonstration. Now imagine a Korean idol doing this on television. Even today I think it would frowned upon…