Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Pop Culture 201: Johnny's Jimusho (Part 1)
Hopefully some of you will remember the Pop Culture 101 article I wrote, like, a year ago. If so, you might also remember the very first "section" of the article, Johnny's Jimusho. I've had a mostly passive interest in them the past few years, but recently...



I admit it. I'm a fan of Japanese boy bands.

It's shameful, I KNOW. But I can't help myself. It's SO interesting. And looking back at my Pop Culture article, I just couldn't leave their section so short and stunted. There's so much more to be said. And thus, I decided to write this, my first real article in months.

Whereas the 101 article explained what the Jimusho are, this one centers more on their appeal. And how very uniquely Japanese the whole concept of the Jimusho is. (So if you need a reminder as to what the heck I'm talking about, just reread their section in the previous guide.)

I tried to make this as entertaining as possible, so please stick around and read it despite its subject. XD

Enjoy. :3

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Boy bands represent everything I dislike about the music industry, where music stops being art and becomes a product. Johnny’s Jimusho in particular are manufactured to the core; the music, the concerts, the boys’ persona and every little aspect of their public lives are usually controlled in some way. Even their friendships, and for that matter rivalries, with each other are often exploited or sometimes even fabricated.

Yet at the same time Johnny’s Jimusho represents all the alien, yet utterly irresistible aspects of Japanese pop culture. These boys are so much more than just dancers or mediocre singers: they are actors, hosts, comedians, models. They will do the most bizarre, ridiculous things to please an audience. They know how to make anything and everything funny. And above all, they know how to entertain people.

The Jimusho are a special breed in that you can be a genuine fan of these boys, yet never listen to a single one of their albums. Some time in the early 90s, Johnny Kitagawa realized that in order for his bands to be truly huge, he could no longer confine the boys to the stage. They needed to be everywhere. And that’s exactly what happened. Magazines, commercials, movies, variety shows, radio programs, look anywhere in Japan and you’ll see a Jimusho.

Japanese dramas are one of the best places to look. (Heck, that’s how I got into it.) I’d say about half of dramas in Japan feature at least one J-Pop star in their cast, and of those stars, about half of them are one of Johnny’s boys. Surprisingly, many of the Jimusho make very good actors. In fact, Kimura Takuya (SMAP), the Jimusho King to many, is often said to be one of the most prolific drama actors currently in the industry.

Yet despite his status, you can easily spot Takuya doing the strangest things, such as dancing and dressing up as Beyonce. Or not-so strange things, like getting scarily pissed off whenever anyone messes with him. This is the beauty of the Jimusho, their ability to be serious-minded actors, badasses, and cross dressers all at once.

Though there is always a conflict when it comes to the boys’ public personas, the question of how much of it is real and how much is for show. So much of their lives are controlled that it is very difficult to believe everything they do or say. This is especially true concerning the boys’ relationships with each other, as it’s not uncommon for Johnny to force boys to collaborate and give off the appearance of being friends, regardless of whether or not they genuinely like each other. In the past year or so, however, I’ve come accept that it doesn’t really matter. Jimusho is mostly centered around spectacle and aesthetics, and in that regard, not everything needs to be real in order for it to be purely enjoyable.

That said, the Jimusho have very distinct, charming personalities. There’s the obsessive Gackt fan who has the most flamboyant wardrobe ever, an adult well into his 30s who made a television show out of invading random people’s houses wearing a pink dress with bows in his hair, the dudes who do ridiculous dances in rainbow-coordinated outfits and fake afros, and the boys who will never let them live those things down. In fact, I guarantee that in every popular Johnny’s band, you are bound to find at least one person whom you’ll absolutely adore.

But not all of Johnny’s Jimusho are naturally lovable. If the Gallagher brothers are my drunken, but talented a-holes, then Nishikido Ryo (NEWS, kanjani8) is my darling little demon child. Simply put, Nishikido is the dark horse of the group. He tells his guyfriends they are fat and need to diet, is shamelessly egotistical, and openly harasses people on national television. Often. Most have trouble liking him at first, for obvious reasons, but many grow to accept him.

For all his snark, he’s charismatic and softhearted when he wants to be. He cries at weddings. He’s quick to defend his friends when others insult them. He’s freakishly proud of being an Osakan. He actually writes his own songs on occasion. He has regrets, crushes, and all the other normal things young men usually have. And it helps that he generally looks way more innocent than he acts.

Nishikido has also made it a point to profusely reaffirm his straightness. (i.e. “Stop trying to make me gay, stupid fangirls!”).

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That last sentence is actually a transition into my next part, but I decided to pause it here since this makes a great segway into my One Litre of Tear review. Assuming that I get around to writing it, that is. And assuming that I get around to finishing this thing too. *wonders where the Pan's Labyrinth review ran off to*

And so I end this post with one of my favorite pictures of Ryo-kun:



His smile is borderline psychotic and his use of glasses even more so!

EDIT: OMG HALF THE LINKS ARE SOLELY RELATED TO RYO-KUN. I'M SUCH A SAD PERSON.
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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Bahamut Papercraft
When I first saw the template for Bahamut, I just knew I had to make it. I've been building it little-by-little since Tuesday, though I finished the bulk of it yesterday while watching One Litre of Tears. (Which is excellent, by the way, despite its title. I'll probably write an overly long, gushing review of it in the next couple days. :3) It's VERY far from being perfect, though it's cool-looking enough IMO.





Size Comparison 1


Size comparison 2 :P


*Unrelated points: The 2nd episode of Le Chevalier is on On Demand, for those interested. (You can actually see a shot of it on my TV in one of the above pics.)

Also I recently got a letter from my Japanese penpal stating: "On Youtube, what are you watching? I'm watching some Japanese dramas." Half the world away, and yet we could very well be watching the exact same videos on Youtube. :)
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Thursday, March 8, 2007

J-drama recc (because that's all I've been watching lately)
Stand Up!! (Click to see the first 10 minutes of episode 1.)

Stand Up!! is sometimes called the Japanese version of American Pie, though I don't think the description is entirely accurate; yes the four main characters (all teenage boys) think about sex all the time, but even so, it's generally a lot more innocent than one might expect.

In any case, the series is very very funny. The four protagonists (often referred to as "the last four") are, as their nickname implies, the last four virgins in their entire grade... Which is ironic in that "the last four" are all played by popular, pretty boy actors. In comparison, the other guys in their class are terribly mediocre. XD

Though to justify this, "the last four" are all eccentric in some way: the narrator is a timid, mousy little boy who has a Gundam obsession and runs like a duck, another is a soccer captain who tries just a little too hard to act aloof, and the others have similar flaws.

And though much of the characters' thinking go along the lines of "how can we get laid today?!" the series' overall message on the subject seems to be that maybe, just maybe it's okay to not be a total whore, and to simply wait until you're ready.

But who cares about moral messages when you have such priceless dialogue as:

"And lastly, the fundamental class. Fundamental! Difficult foundation! What's with these scores? You guys are nothing. You're like carps, but carps are much better! Polish your brains and reapply, you stupid carps! Difficult foundation!"

* The actor who plays the narrator in this series is the same dude who plays the young Japanese soldier in Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima." :o
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Wednesday, March 7, 2007

My current favorite video on Youtube:



I have a LOT of respect for anyone who has the patience to make a stop-motion anything.
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Tuesday, March 6, 2007

My recording got accepted! I'll be participating in the Japanese speech competition at the end of this month! :D

The only real problem is that the competition conflicts with a BJD meet I wanted to attend on the same day. Ah well. I guess there's always next month. :(
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Monday, March 5, 2007

Adam made a post linking to a papercraft blog, and since I have the day off from school, I decided to make one. Here it is alongside the paper catbus and toy poodle:



And posing with Rem (who's actually standing in this pic :o!):



Also, the green eyes pic in the previous post should be working now. ^^
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Saturday, March 3, 2007

OMG I'm a creepy doll lady!
I now have the strongest urge to go see Dead Silence when it comes out--and bring Remy along with me. Just to make the person sitting next to me terribly uncomfortable. :D
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The limited edition doll head I was talking about earlier finally got sold! Now I have the money to buy Rem that fancy black coat. :D

On that note, here's a decent pic of the new eyes for those interested:



Also the song in my profile changed. It seems my music tastes inevitably lead back to Britain... or in this case, psuedo-Britain.
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007

I finished writing the letter to Seven! I'll probably send it off after school tomorrow. Here's the entire package:



Here are close-up pics of the actual letter, so that you all can see "Remy's" simplistic handwriting. XD







Sorry if it's difficult to read. *obviously doesn't have a scanner*
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Remy got a penpal! His name is Seven. Here's a little thumbnail pic of him:



Rem also got his green eyes today. They don't show up as well as I had hoped they would, though. It's only at certain angles at which the greenness can be seen. :/
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