[misc.] Jyousei Seven - 11/26/2009 - Part 3 of 3
Whoops, sorry about the long delay between the previous part and this! I've been really busy with other things, along with the pesky thing known as real life. Here's the last part to a very interesting - albeit a bit exaggerated at times (to me, anyway) - article about why women in their 40s are joining in on the idol frenzy. Here they talk about their feelings towards the idols they like, and more on how their lives have changed since.
I've started implementing "Web Clap" on this journal too-- it's basically a little button you can click on as an anonymous way of saying 'thank you' without needing to comment. You'll find it at the bottom of every post from now on. :) Comments are still appreciated as ever, but I do understand if you don't have the time or don't really know what to say. At any rate, enjoy!
The first part can be found here, and the second part here.
Jyousei Seven - 11/26/2009 - Part 3 of 3
More so than romantic feelings,
it's a mentality of "wanting to raise them"
Large sums of money and time, hard work, passion... these fans have invested everything they own in idols. But just what are these women seeking from idols?
The aforementioned Kitagawa-san says this in regards to the differences between what male and female fans seek.
"Groups of female fans pursuing the same idol and becoming friends with one another is in itself an unbelievable thing. For males, the general principle is that of a quasi romance, so that sort of thing does not happen."
The aforementioned Ako-san says this.
"In my case, they're not romantic feelings. They're strong feelings of 'If I was ever reborn again I'd want to be Sakurai-kun'. That's how much I respect him."
Contents from the postcards she writes in to their radio programs include not only her thoughts on their concerts but also daring suggestions of points of improvement, such as "I think it would have been better to hold the MC this way instead".
"That's because I want to help Sakurai-kun mature. In that sense it might be similar to the way I might feel for my own child." (Ako-san)
The aforementioned Nakoshi-san says this in regards to the mentalities of fans who do similar things.
"If a side has to be picked, being just a bit helpless is better. That not yet complete-ness makes us want to offer them our support, and the desire to raise them like our own is also strong."
Bko-san often sits in front of the television and frets over them like an actual parent.
"It's a must for me to watch things like talk shows for them because that's when they're at their most natural. But I get nervous thinking things like "I wonder if they'll talk properly" or "I wonder if they'll be okay". I really do get worried..."
Moreover, when the aforementioned Ako-san goes out to see them, dressing herself up stylishly is not for the sole reason of catching their eye.
"There's a lot of older fans, so I figured it'd be bad to let (the idols) see me dressed in such an unsightly fashion (wry laugh). It's a feeling of not wanting to embarrass them."
In the case of regional concerts, she even bring along two pairs of boots to suit the itinerary for the day. The aforementioned Catherine-san says this in regards to that sort of behaviour.
"They watch over them from afar with feelings of not wanting to cause them any trouble and of giving them a better environment to be in. Of course there are romance-like feelings as well, but I believe maternal feelings are also very strong."
But the current idol boom is different from the unprecedented Hallyu boom that took the nation by storm some years ago.
"Bae Yong Joon's fan demographic had an overwhelming amount of over 50 year olds who yearned for his clean and beautiful way of living. I believe there were many who had been infatuated with the thought of sending their hearts out to stars from the big screen." (Aforementioned Chikayo-san)
'If only my husband was like this...', 'There are no gentlemen like Yon-sama in Japan now...' And thus, those women developed romantic love for those Hallyu stars.
The aforementioned Nakoshi-san says this.
"What attracts those in their forties to idols now is a matter of support more so than longing. While they do long to become the 'main shaft' by those idols' sides, support is something they themselves must do steadily. Within that, they likely want their own role to be noticed as well."
Even so, it is undeniable that they also feel flustered by men whose ages are around that of their own sons.
"In a complete opposite of 'karesen' [T/N: loving middle-aged men], it is believed that those young men possess things they themselves do not, such as youth and innocence. If it has to be said, there may also be a sense of delight at the fact that these idols have collapsed the gap between generations as they did not often interact with young people to that extent before." (Catherine-san)
But for the idols whom they've poured all of their enthusiasm into raising, that passion may also dampen for some if their popularity catches fire.
"There are some people who think 'my duty here is done' when they're unable to get tickets because they're too popular, or even if they start growing too big." (aforementioned Cko-san)
As they pray for their success, they also hope for a nearby presence within hand's reach. To the fans, that feeling of closeness may just be the most important of all.
The around-40s generations are always the heroines of any era
The around-40s generation isn't getting over-infatuated with idols to the point where their family lives are suffering, but enjoying their "pursuit" with what they consider as just the right balance.
The one who claims that coming across Tohoshinki has "brought a new sense of excitement to my ordinary life" is the aforementioned Cko-san.
"Once you get married and settle down with a family, you don't really experience anything exciting in your life. Each event I can think of are all family-related. On Christmas and New Years, all I do is go to and from the kitchen, I can hardly get a moment's rest... Up until the day before a concert, I'm almost like a nervous child on the day before their sports festival."
Like the way they used to when they were still single, they look forward muchly to the weekends.
"Even though I'd already gone through all the chores, I'd think that maybe I should do a little more scrubbing or something. (laugh)" (Cko-san)
At the venues, they also call out in loud voices that they would never use normally.
"To have myself actually there like that was something I finally noticed at that moment. It was a part of me that no one else had seen before. Ever since then I've just been addicted. I can tolerate the everyday stress if it's for this one day." (Cko-san)
While Cko-san isn't the type to take her daughter along because "I want to enjoy time to myself", there are many people who have fun at concerts together with their daughters. The aforementioned Ako-san always brings along her 10 year old son. At the venue, she lets her son hold onto handmade uchiwas to show their support.
"The fanservice is really good when you bring your child along. They've pointed at us before, waved bye bye or flashed peace signs too. My son's an Arashi fan as well so he'd be happy about it the first day, but when it happens on the second day too he'd say things like 'They're doing that again?' (laugh)."
Despite that, her son does not seem annoyed about how their mini vacations double as regional concert-going trips. Even on the streets they talk solely and excitedly of Arashi.
The aforementioned Chikayo-san says that "The main characters of any era are always the around-40 generations."
"I've heard that even dramas are starting to target the F2 demographic (35~49 year old females). They're a generation that grew up amidst quite a lot of entertainment, and since the range of things which they can relate to is so broad, everything from Winter Sonata to trendier dramas can be hits with them." (aforementioned Chikayo-san)
Though they're into "cute younger guys", most of them still carry on with their own lives. The current generation of 40 year olds are aware that their future will not be full of optimism forever. That is perhaps precisely the reason why they have discovered how to enjoy themselves now while it lasts.
I've started implementing "Web Clap" on this journal too-- it's basically a little button you can click on as an anonymous way of saying 'thank you' without needing to comment. You'll find it at the bottom of every post from now on. :) Comments are still appreciated as ever, but I do understand if you don't have the time or don't really know what to say. At any rate, enjoy!
The first part can be found here, and the second part here.
Jyousei Seven - 11/26/2009 - Part 3 of 3
More so than romantic feelings,
it's a mentality of "wanting to raise them"
Large sums of money and time, hard work, passion... these fans have invested everything they own in idols. But just what are these women seeking from idols?
The aforementioned Kitagawa-san says this in regards to the differences between what male and female fans seek.
"Groups of female fans pursuing the same idol and becoming friends with one another is in itself an unbelievable thing. For males, the general principle is that of a quasi romance, so that sort of thing does not happen."
The aforementioned Ako-san says this.
"In my case, they're not romantic feelings. They're strong feelings of 'If I was ever reborn again I'd want to be Sakurai-kun'. That's how much I respect him."
Contents from the postcards she writes in to their radio programs include not only her thoughts on their concerts but also daring suggestions of points of improvement, such as "I think it would have been better to hold the MC this way instead".
"That's because I want to help Sakurai-kun mature. In that sense it might be similar to the way I might feel for my own child." (Ako-san)
The aforementioned Nakoshi-san says this in regards to the mentalities of fans who do similar things.
"If a side has to be picked, being just a bit helpless is better. That not yet complete-ness makes us want to offer them our support, and the desire to raise them like our own is also strong."
Bko-san often sits in front of the television and frets over them like an actual parent.
"It's a must for me to watch things like talk shows for them because that's when they're at their most natural. But I get nervous thinking things like "I wonder if they'll talk properly" or "I wonder if they'll be okay". I really do get worried..."
Moreover, when the aforementioned Ako-san goes out to see them, dressing herself up stylishly is not for the sole reason of catching their eye.
"There's a lot of older fans, so I figured it'd be bad to let (the idols) see me dressed in such an unsightly fashion (wry laugh). It's a feeling of not wanting to embarrass them."
In the case of regional concerts, she even bring along two pairs of boots to suit the itinerary for the day. The aforementioned Catherine-san says this in regards to that sort of behaviour.
"They watch over them from afar with feelings of not wanting to cause them any trouble and of giving them a better environment to be in. Of course there are romance-like feelings as well, but I believe maternal feelings are also very strong."
But the current idol boom is different from the unprecedented Hallyu boom that took the nation by storm some years ago.
"Bae Yong Joon's fan demographic had an overwhelming amount of over 50 year olds who yearned for his clean and beautiful way of living. I believe there were many who had been infatuated with the thought of sending their hearts out to stars from the big screen." (Aforementioned Chikayo-san)
'If only my husband was like this...', 'There are no gentlemen like Yon-sama in Japan now...' And thus, those women developed romantic love for those Hallyu stars.
The aforementioned Nakoshi-san says this.
"What attracts those in their forties to idols now is a matter of support more so than longing. While they do long to become the 'main shaft' by those idols' sides, support is something they themselves must do steadily. Within that, they likely want their own role to be noticed as well."
Even so, it is undeniable that they also feel flustered by men whose ages are around that of their own sons.
"In a complete opposite of 'karesen' [T/N: loving middle-aged men], it is believed that those young men possess things they themselves do not, such as youth and innocence. If it has to be said, there may also be a sense of delight at the fact that these idols have collapsed the gap between generations as they did not often interact with young people to that extent before." (Catherine-san)
But for the idols whom they've poured all of their enthusiasm into raising, that passion may also dampen for some if their popularity catches fire.
"There are some people who think 'my duty here is done' when they're unable to get tickets because they're too popular, or even if they start growing too big." (aforementioned Cko-san)
As they pray for their success, they also hope for a nearby presence within hand's reach. To the fans, that feeling of closeness may just be the most important of all.
The around-40s generations are always the heroines of any era
The around-40s generation isn't getting over-infatuated with idols to the point where their family lives are suffering, but enjoying their "pursuit" with what they consider as just the right balance.
The one who claims that coming across Tohoshinki has "brought a new sense of excitement to my ordinary life" is the aforementioned Cko-san.
"Once you get married and settle down with a family, you don't really experience anything exciting in your life. Each event I can think of are all family-related. On Christmas and New Years, all I do is go to and from the kitchen, I can hardly get a moment's rest... Up until the day before a concert, I'm almost like a nervous child on the day before their sports festival."
Like the way they used to when they were still single, they look forward muchly to the weekends.
"Even though I'd already gone through all the chores, I'd think that maybe I should do a little more scrubbing or something. (laugh)" (Cko-san)
At the venues, they also call out in loud voices that they would never use normally.
"To have myself actually there like that was something I finally noticed at that moment. It was a part of me that no one else had seen before. Ever since then I've just been addicted. I can tolerate the everyday stress if it's for this one day." (Cko-san)
While Cko-san isn't the type to take her daughter along because "I want to enjoy time to myself", there are many people who have fun at concerts together with their daughters. The aforementioned Ako-san always brings along her 10 year old son. At the venue, she lets her son hold onto handmade uchiwas to show their support.
"The fanservice is really good when you bring your child along. They've pointed at us before, waved bye bye or flashed peace signs too. My son's an Arashi fan as well so he'd be happy about it the first day, but when it happens on the second day too he'd say things like 'They're doing that again?' (laugh)."
Despite that, her son does not seem annoyed about how their mini vacations double as regional concert-going trips. Even on the streets they talk solely and excitedly of Arashi.
The aforementioned Chikayo-san says that "The main characters of any era are always the around-40 generations."
"I've heard that even dramas are starting to target the F2 demographic (35~49 year old females). They're a generation that grew up amidst quite a lot of entertainment, and since the range of things which they can relate to is so broad, everything from Winter Sonata to trendier dramas can be hits with them." (aforementioned Chikayo-san)
Though they're into "cute younger guys", most of them still carry on with their own lives. The current generation of 40 year olds are aware that their future will not be full of optimism forever. That is perhaps precisely the reason why they have discovered how to enjoy themselves now while it lasts.