Make Believe Mailer Vol. 25: False Alphabet City
One of the most viewed music videos of the week in Japan came courtesy of Keyakizaka46, a biggie-sized idol group who have over the course of two years gone from accidental Nazis to one of the biggest pop acts in J-pop. The clip for their song "Mou Mori He Kaerouka?" boasts the theme of "mass-produced idols," full of shots of young women laying on what appears to be a warehouse ground, like they've come right off the assembly line, and eventually dotting a factory. It's a clever albeit light critique of a corner of Japanese entertainment known for its mechanical-like grind. And, if you live in one of the 194 countries out there that happen to not be Japan, you can't watch it.
Hope you like shady video-sharing sites, France!
At the same time, Keyakizaka46's officially sanctioned rival AKB48 — despite being presented as competitors, the same 59-year-old man produces both projects — released a colorful video for their newest single, "Ja-Ba-Ja." It's school-festival themed! That means lots of sailor suits, Technicolor clothes and tiny hats! If Keyakizaka46's newest number tries to unsettle, AKB48's latest offers a big horn-assisted pat on the back that reassures you just how fun and bright J-pop can be. And you can watch "Ja-Ba-Ja" nearly anywhere in the world.
China will never get to ja-ba-ja
Japan doesn't make it easy for people to hear music from the country. That was a complaint common long before I moved here in 2009, and one that continues to frustrate everyone who gets that dreaded : / stare from the YouTube box. What makes it particularly frustrating is seeing what happens when a country's music industry goes the other way — K-pop has achieved attention from people all over the globe for many reasons, but I'd argue above all else the ease of access labels and agencies provide to those living outside South Korea has been responsible for its success more than any other element. If somebody in Billings, Montana wants to watch a BTS video, they just go to YouTube. If they want to check out Arashi...well, I hope you like malware.
It's a hangup brought up by J-pop fans and those who would love to learn more. But for Japanese labels and agencies, it's a choice, not some industry-wide standard. This decade's biggest international success stories all spread thanks to eye-grabbing videos. Other groups aspiring for some Western shine have practically leaned in too hard the other way, pushing wacky-Japan fare too hard. J-pop titan Hikaru Utada took to Twitter to apologize to international fans because they can't watch her videos.
There are many reasons these complications come about, but this week's AKB and Keyakizaka videos illustrate one crosspoint Japanese labels might find themselves at. Despite being loathed by many domestically and a frequent source of panic, AKB48 have also become representatives for Japanese pop culture. For better or for worse, people associate many generalizations about J-pop and Japanese culture at large with the 120-member-strong project. That's especially true in Asia — AKB have set up sister groups in Jakarta, Bangkok and Shanghai (though, uh, that last one is complicated, and they are now independent from AKB itself). This year they are expanding even further, capped off by the forthcoming Produce 48 show. If K-pop is this highly organized, government-backed force to spread all things Korean, AKB is like McDonald's.
Let me know when Twice get their nugget bucket, thanks
"Ja-Ba-Ja" offers an idealized image of J-pop and, by extension, Japan. It's upbeat, it's colorful, it's youthful. There's nothing complicated to wrestle with, save for what exactly "ja-ba-ja" means. It being made available for almost anyone in the world to see makes sense, because AKB48 often celebrate the perceived image of Japan in the world in their videos. Even when people rage against them, it ends up being a commentary about Japan as a whole. And for idol fans and anime-convention-goers who just want their imagined view of what Japan looks and sounds like, "Ja-Ba-Ja" practically goes down a checklist.
So I imagine the folks at Sony not knowing how to sell Keyakizaka46 to the world at large. They are a complicated group to examine, as they basically are an idol group singing about topics actual teenage girls would be interested in. At times, they come off as progressive (or at least earnestly Gen. Z) as any project in J-pop, singing about failing institutions and a distrust of conformity. What complicates it is that a dude pushing 60 writes all the songs, so it can feel cynical. Still, Keyakizaka46 don't offer up easy images of Japan, but rather poke at the peculiarities of culture here. Their latest video — I guess just imagine if you live, uh, anywhere outside Japan — offers a kinda critique of the very industry the exist in.
They aren't feeding the world what they expect from Japan, but actually complicating matters that people primarily living here would pick up on. And it's tough to sell slightly subversive takes on J-pop to a world that often just goes for the colorful and wacky of an AKB48, a group perfect for spreading a soft power those in Japan think the world want. The irony to me, though, is that Keyakizaka46's whole vibe would probably play better abroad — present it right and you have a group challenging the norms of a conservative country, of expressing a new generation's desires. Oh, and the song is way better too. But it's the traditional image of AKB48 that remains dominant in the minds of the industry here, so the bright and happy clip goes to the globe.
News And Views
Remember Kyary Pamyu Pamyu? She was just, oh, one of J-pop's biggest crossover acts to the world this decade, beloved by Ariana Grande, Grimes and Katy Perry in equal measure. But she's been pretty quiet on the music front recently, focused mainly on her (still great) Twitter account. But she's prepping a new single, and a tour taking her through Europe and a few cities in North America.
A bunch of artists are coming together to make a tribute album for Sheena Ringo. Give me that Utada and Nariaki Obukuro number stat!
Pikotaro will never die, but you will.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of February 19, 2018 -- February 25, 2018
Speaking of artists who never share anything online...Arashi is number one this week with the shoulder-shrug number "Find The Answer." Maybe being cut off from digital trends is a good thing.....
Perfume's GAME (33 1/3)
My entry in the 33 1/3 Japan series is out now! Thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy (and those who sent photos of their book to me on Twitter...I kind of still can't believe that!), and for everyone else head over to Bloomsbury or Amazon to get one now. A band that comes up a few times in the book is Juicy Fruits, one of the better examples of the cross-pollination of techno-pop with mainstream Japanese pop (and proving a vital influence on the sound of Perfume, at least early on). Funny enough, that group put out their first new album in 34 years recently, a nice reminder of their...existence?... and the techno-pop style that proved way more influential than many people give them credit for.
Look At Me!
Wrote about my favorite Japanese TV show going for The Japan Times, which involves puppets.
Blog Highlights: LLLL, Radicalfashion, and Boogie Idol.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
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