In all great Idol rivalry battles there is always a casualty and in the 80s battles between Wink, BaBe and PumpKin, PumpKin was the casualty.
PumpKin was Chiharu Hayashi, Mikako Shiroyama and later Masumi Ogawa who replaced graduated Hayashi, and they had the pleasure or misfortune to debut at the same time Wink made their debut.
Chiharu [Left] ,Mikako [Right]
For PumpKin, that would be a mountain they could not pass .Despite being talented singers centered on their harmonies and cuteness, they simply were no match for Wink, as Wink were much like AKB48 a machine that took no prisoners.
Sadly PumpKin was one of the no prisoners and simply became the third group in this three group rivalry.
So here is a look at a group who made their debut at the wrong time in the idol wars, yet managed to last 6yrs.
If there was ever a 80s idol that could step out of time and into Morning Musume it was Yuko Nito. Yuko was a sweet girl, who had an unfortunate short idol career.
Yuko made her debut in 1986 as an actress/idol .She entered the industry first as an actress , then a year later she made her idol debut with "Okorinbo no Ningyo". With this debut came a number of awards as by the end of the year Yuko had won the Japan Ballad Songs Rookie of the Year award.
As an idol she had five singles and two albums, her most popular single was “Aki kara no Summertime.”
Yuko was charming in everyway and made a number of gravure shots and commercials ,and had a very promising idol career underway ,when she developed a serious throat condition that resulted in 1990 her not being able to sing anymore.
Not letting this setback get her down Yuko transitioned from an idol into a fulltime actress and futsal player for the club team XANADU Loves NHC. Her acting work includes over 35 dramas, 12 theater stages, and 12 movies.
If Yuko had not suffered throat problems she could have become one of the top soloists of the late 80s-mid 90`s silver idol age.
Before there was Momoiro Clover Z there was BaBe. In 1987 Tomoko Kondo and Yukari Nikaido aged 19 and 18 at the time, arrived on the scene and immediately made their presence felt with their own special brand of humor and at the time creative and sometimes goofy costumes. However compared to Momoiro Clover Z their costumes and antics are rather normal in comparison and shows just how far the genre has come from the 1980`s.
Before Wink arrived BaBe were the leaders of the silver Idol age and were mainstays on variety and musical television programs and awards followed as well such as the Nihon Record Taishou's Rookie of the Year award.
Despite finding themselves in a sales rivalry with the likes of Wink and Pumpkin ,the group found themselves having to shockingly disband in February 1990 when Yukari announced her pregnancy and follow up marriage . Following Yukari`s retirement, Tomoko went on to have a brief solo career, before deciding that marriage and motherhood was also in her dreams.
While they were together for a short time and their popularity at the time was second only to Wink, they did manage to release eight singles and seven albums.
Of all their releases they had fans regard these as BaBe classics, "I Don't Know", "Somebody Loves You", and "Get a Chance!”
Debut Single - I Don`t Know!
Performing in a difficult situation, while looking like matadors
Get a Chance!”
This time they have to perform in a maze
Somebody Loves You
[Notice the number of female fans to male, boy has the genre changed thanks to Johnny`s]
Just because every idol should perform on TV in pajamas
As I mentioned in the Wink post, very little of today’s Idol genre is new
Case in point does this program look familiar
Morning Musume fans have defiantly seen them do this before
When thinking about were idol genre is today ,where it is heading ,you can`t forget where it once was and for me that is the 80`s a time when there were countless of idols engaged in rivalries ,high record sales battles over chart numbers.
Very little of today’s idol genre is an original thought by a producer ,the foundation for everything happening today ,first took place in the 80s .Keep in mind that many of the current producers or musicians who are in music today ,either grew up in the 80s watching idols or were starting a career in the mid-late 80s to early 90s. While the foundation is the same today as in yesterday, the producers and groups are becoming more creative and creating a new vision for the genre. Vision is what this post is about.
One such 80s group that in their time were leaders in creating the 80s vision of idol genre was Wink.
Wink were the duo of Sachiko Suzuki, who normally was positioned on the left side and Shoko Aida and when they made their debut with "Sugar Baby Love" they immediately found themselves in the middle of an idol rivalry with the likes of popular groups BaBe and Pumpkin.
Despite the risk of becoming overshadowed by BaBe and Pumpkin the duo showed they could face any challenge that awaited them when they hit the top ten in 1987 with their single "Namida o Misenai de (Boys Don't Cry).
When Wink arrived they entered a genre that like them was filled with cute ,young and innocent faced idols ,all loaded with smiles that could sink an naval armada . Wink were no exception to this rule as their smiles and charm captured the hearts of many men and earned the loyalty of thousands of fans, and young idol hopefuls with their era trend setting fashions.
However looks were not the only thing this unit had going for them ,they could sing ,something that you had to be able to do at that time as dance stage performances had not yet taken hold, like today's idol genre.
Wink showed that they could battle the likes of BaBe and Pumpkin with their blend of charm, sweetly melodic vocals and upbeat dance-pop singles. These singles were hits in the nightclubs and included the likes of "Ai ga Tomaranai", "Atsui Kuchibiru", "One Night in Heaven", "Yoru ni Hagurete", "Sexy Music" and "Itsumademo Suki de Itakute"
One Night in Heaven by the way is one of my favorite Wink songs and their PV costumes, makes me wonder what they may have looked like if this was a unit in today’s era.
Wink was what you may call “youthful sophistication idols” and their image very much reflected this as their photo sessions and videos captured this concept. Their singles booklets were filled with model shots of Suzuki and Aida wearing elegant clothing and accessories, while their PVs focused on fashion and choreography, while some of their rivals dashed off to more exotic locations or even risked showing a more sexy side of themselves.
When it came to collectable merchandise Wink had three stores in Harajuku alone and many more across Tokyo and Japan.
Wink would see their success go well into the 90`s as the duo made highly successful solo albums in 1992 [Shoko's "Delphinium" and Sachiko's "Mode"]. Wink would continue their success as a duo until 1996, when they called it a day and as a result brought the end to the most successful idol group of the silver age and the end of Idol silver age.
For many fans they regard Wink`s ending as the darkest day of Idol genre. I however disagree, the darkest day in my opinion was the day Yukiko Okada became sad and jumped from her agency’s building at the age of 18 and the high number of fans that in their grief followed her into the afterlife.
The ending of Wink ,marked the end of one age of the genre and the birth of a new age as groups like Morning Musume and other large member units were about to arrive in the late 90s to create a new age only to be followed by the rise of more idol ages.
While the genre may not reach the level of record sales battles that idols saw in the 80s and early/mid 90s, if it was not for groups like Wink, we would not have the genre we have today.
Wink`s catalog is more than this post can handle, so here is a few to close this out.
This PV captured their concept very well
Some of their career CMs that feature their beauty
When you look up the word idol legend in Japanese idol genre ,you will not see a definition meaning ,instead you will simply see names such as Yamaguchi Momoe.
Momoe`s name will forever be linked to idol genre just like Okada Yukiko for they are in my opinion the closest the genre has ever come to idol perfection .
Momoe announced her shocking retirement from the industry at age twenty ,tired of the industry that had ran her non-stop to the point of burn out . After her retirement in 1980 Momoe found happiness in marriage and family life ,and is looked upon as the ideal housewife .Yet she found no media peace as a wife . She has made front page news for bringing her sons home from the hospital ,attending first day of school. A 1994 false rumor of a return also made front page news.
Momoe`s rise to idol star began in 1972 when a photo of a 13 yr. old girl wearing white turned up on the desk of the director of the television show Star Tanjo! a talent show for idol hopefuls.
Momoe would become the tip of the spear in a new idol crusade by Star Tanjo! And Hori Production to counter industry leader Watanabe Productions.
In 1972 Yamaguchi, Mori Masako and Sakurada Junko were cast together to become a powerful junior high trio.
Of the three Momoe was projected to have the least success going into her 1973 debut single . Momoe`s debut “Toshigoro” resulted in sales of 70,000 a figure at the time that was seen as lacking of superstar abilities a statement of the times as today a sales total of 70,000 is seen as a successful release.
Momoe while gaining ground on her other two trio members with her early releases , decided that a change was needed and she pushed her agency to allow her to start performing songs written by Agi Yoko and Usaki Ryudo . The duo gave Momoe confident take charge themed songs such as her 13th single "Yokosuka Story" [sold 600,000 copies for #1 rank]
It was also around this time in 1976 that Momoe started to become a wonderful ballad singer as this later career song displays.
Even with these changes Momoe could not receive industry recognition ,who overlooked her efforts. Momoe would go on to release 32 singles ,22 albums , a rock opera in eight years.
However Momoe was not simply a singer as in 1974 she started her movie career .It was here that she would meet her future husband Miura Tomokazu who she made fourteen films with as the romantic film duo`s public demand was good for the box office figures.
While Momoe went on to make 17 films and 9 dramas ,she was desperately growing tired of an industry that kept taking and taking from her without any regard for rest . Momoe later wrote in a book that by this time it had become a job “without any regard for my own wishes. Forced to sing the same songs over and over everyday, I came to hate singing." Then suddenly in 1978 the out she was looking for came .
The popular female idol group The Candies had called it quits after career sales of 5,000,000 ,with that Momoe decided to put herself before contract and in 1980 she announced her marriage and retirement . Momoe would leave with the same style and grace as she entered. To this day her fans have always regarded her as simply one of them.
Gaki has been covering a series of posts regarding Eguchi Aimi, whom is dubbed as the face of AKB48 in what they call a "perfect idol". The response from the public, some loved it, while some cried "FAKE!". (presumably...)
But "virtual idols" are not new in Japan entertainment.
Since the beginning of time, mankind seek perfection in whatever subject they find. Idols are no exception. People have a vision of what a perfect "something" in their mind, and in the case of Japanese idols, some have decided to showcase in what they think is a perfect idol.
First Generation - Anime
Way back in the early 1980's, the hit mecha anime Super Dimensional Fortress Macross have shown their version of what they think is a perfect idol - Lynn Minmay.
Lynn Minmay is a civilian aboard the Macross spaceship whose raw talent was discovered and then further groomed her to not only be a pop idol, but a symbol of hope and peace while humanity fights off invading aliens such as the Zentradi. Macross portrayed Minmay as a young teen struggling to come to terms with her insecurity, doubts on love relationships and her pop stardom - just like any other ordinary teen. Singer Iijima Mari sung Minmay's songs and she is associated with the anime character ever since. So, in my mind Lynn Minmay is the earliest successful form of a virtual idol - albeit in the form of anime character.
From the mid 80's onwards other "acts" have tried to emulate the success of Minmay, notably Megazone 23's Tokimatsu Eve and Takanaka Yui. Although not as famous as Minmay, the idea of anime virtual idol stuck and evolved over the years.
Yui Takanaka in Megazone 23
Second Attempt - 3D
Almost 10 years later in year 1996, technology has improved and people began too look for something as close to realism as possible. It is also a time where 3D animation got a big boom. That's where Kyoko Date and Terai Yuki come in.
Produced by Hori Puro talent agency, Kyoko Date was first conceptualized to be a dating simulation game character, but somehow decided to market her as a "real" talent under the agency, even produced a song for her. Unfortunately, Kyoko's popularity lasted only a few months, however all the publicity invested in her has increased HoriPuro's company image. There were future versions created in 2002 and another one in 2007 (active in Second Life).
Another 3D virtual idol picked up where Kyoto left off. Terai Yuki was originally an character in manga artist Kutsugi Kenichi's manga "Libido" but later was 3D-modeled. At that time, her bio states that she is 17 years old, 3 sizes 89-59-85, 166 cm tall, loves jazz and idolizes Sarah Vaughan. Her birthdate is set at 9th September 2000 however, meaning that she is a time traveller who came from the futuristic world of the year 2017.
Terai was well received by the masses, that in between 1999 to 2001 she is seen TV commercials, photobooks, PV, singles (produced with Avex), DVDs, magazines, games, softwares, banners etc. Although her popularity waned after that, I believe it has paved the way for virtual idol-ling in 3D-model characters, such as Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
Terai Yuki - Fly away alone
(If you are wondering why both of them have short hair? Because long hair is more difficult to animate in realistic 3D)
Third Wave - Hybrid
Again, fast forward 10 years later round about 2007, another virtual idol craze has emerged from the hometown of the otakus, Akibahara culture, Moe maid cafes and pure kawaii-ness - Hatsune Miku. Hatsune is a female character used as a persona to market Vocaloid speech synthesizer, a software designed to simulate vocal speech and song. One may use Vocaloid to replace back-singers if skilled enough. Apparently someone thought otherwise and decided to animate Hatsune Miku, and with sampling audio from singer/voice actress Fujita Saki, a new virtual star is born.
Unlike her predecessors, Hatsune Miku appeared in both mediums - anime and 3D. Even so far as to create a hologram concert with real live backing bands and all.
Hatsune Miku - Triple Baka
3D & Hologram - Ai Kotoba
So... what next?
So about Eguchi Aimi, fact of the matter that her case could just be a one-off PR project for Glico, because I don't know if it will evolve to ANIMATING Eguchi in a manner that she will be able to sing and dance.
Although Hatsune Miku and the Vocaloids are still quite popular, there seems to be some kind of buzz going on with the emergence of "perfect idol" Eguchi Aimi. A question of morality? Or fear of a possible outcome?
From the pattern there seems to be about a 10-year gap between each virtual idol big break. But it is 2011 after all, and technology has leapt to great heights and there seems to be a possibility that about half a decade later, "real" idols will have to challenge virtual idols on the Oricon charts...
But consider this ->
At a time which where it is possible to "touch" a hologram like Hatsune Miku, and there are people with the notion to marry their digital girlfriends... Will we be seeing idol handshake events in _hologram_ in the future...?
I leave you with ELISA's rendition of Iijima Mari / Lynn Minmay's, the first virtual idol's most memorable song "Do you remember Love?", as we the idol fans continue to seek perfection in song and dance from our favourite idols... be it virtual or otherwise.
Ever had a time when you thought "I love this group, wish they could have stayed around longer". Such thoughts are commonplace when you are into Japanese entertainment, where especially female idols acts are notoriously short. Only a handful of them that had their big break like AKB48, Morning Musume, Perfume, MAX etc get to enjoy a much longer life span. Here are my Top 5 groups that I think "should have been".
No. 5: Folder5 (2000-2002)
Believe it or not, these girls were actually a 2nd incarnation. They were formerly called "Folder" with 7 junior mixed members, with 2 boys leading and 5 girls dancing. Then the 2 boys were removed from the group and the remainding 5 girls formed "Folder5", which I feel have given the group a much better recognition than before. Folder5 debuted with their smash hit "Supergirl" and have since then been synonymous with Eurobeat and hit anime One Piece. Even collaborated with idol group w-inds as short-lived Earth Harmony. With so many commercials, games, anime and TV in their portfolio, it is still a wonder why they broke-up.
Supergirl
Believe (2nd OP to One Piece)
No. 4: PARADISE GO!! GO!! (2004 - 2006)
Born from the vocal and dance school "Caless" that have produced well known acts such as Hinoi Team and Shimizu Shota, PARADISE GO!! GO!! (also known as Parago for short) should have had a longer life span with their line-up of trained dancers and singers. Before their major debut with Avex, they performed in street lives about Kansai. Their first major single Koi no Undoukai (恋の運動会) is quite like what you would expect from a regular akibadol group. Then it was with their next single ZETTAI and the following Faraway, which I feel have given them with much more mainstream appeal with better vocals and complex dance formations. And just as we thought Parago could be a very promising pop act they were put on hiatus, later disbanded without any official notice, and just right after their one and only live tour. A shame, because personally I thought they could gone a little further. One of the lead vocals Matsumoto Misaki has since then moved on to form a duo "Love" as part of the main 3 acts under LDH, namely "Love", "dream" and "Happiness".
Faraway
Dear My Friend
No: 3 SweetS (2003 - 2006)
Another group that I wished have stuck around longer. Was crushed when I first hear about their disbanding. They were put together after passing the avex audition in 2002. They officially debuted the following year in 2003. At age range of 13-14 at debut, their solid vocals and dance skills betray their young age by far. Since then they have had a series of hits of which my personal favorites were "Love★Raspberry Juice" and "Love like candy floss". It was a treat to watch their growth from pre-teen to teens, as their appearances and vocal maturity changes from single to single.Their life span was but 3 years but they have done much better than Parago, with 11 singles under their belt.
Love raspberry juice
Love like candy floss
No: 2 EARTH (2000-2001, hiatus from 2002-2005)
To call EARTH an idol group, a female vocal group was probably a better description. After passing an audition in Kyushuu in 1999 they were vocally & dance trained in New York before debuting in 2000. Although they did win the 42nd Japan Records Award for Best New Artiste, their activity spanned only from 2000 to late 2001 and remained on hiatus before their official disbanding in 2005. EARTH's debut single "time after time" remained their best single ever, and with such good vocals it is hard to believe that they were between 12-13 years old at that time. Although EARTH started out with R&B genre, they moved on to mainstream pop in the following year but yet unable to garner enough attention. After the breakup, each of the girls have since started their own separate singing career. It was rumored that their musical differences was the cause of the eventual breakup. But I cannot help wonder "what if…?"
time after time
Make up your mind
No: 1 W (2004-2006, disbanded 2007)
With two of the most recognizable names and faces to graduate from the top idol group at the time Morning Musume, many were delighted to see the duo that formed W. They have every quality to be a successful idol group, and they have a gimmick for every single they released, a trait they borrowed from their Morning Musume days. Personally, I actually enjoyed their covers more than their original singles. And just about W was hitting its prime, trouble happened when one of the girls Kago Ai was caught smoking while being underage in 2006, and their activities have been put on hiatus. The following year, Kago was caught repeating the offence once again and W has been disbanded permanently. Coming from many years of singing and dance grooming within Morning Musume and being highly recognisable, W's break-up is in my list as one of the biggest let-downs, and tops this list as being the group that "should have been".
Miss Love Tantei
Shirois iro wa koibito no iro (Cover of Betsy and Chris)
Of the idols of the 80`s that shaped Japanese Idol music, the biggest and the BEST was Onyanko Club.
Onyanko Club, which means “Kitten Club” was created by AKB48 founder Akimoto Yasushi in 1985 and was not only the biggest in terms of members at 52, but the best of all idol groups of that time. Onyanko Club are the birth mothers so to speak of the modern idol era. Everything that you watch on television or on video each week from Idol variety shows, Onyanko Club for the most part originally done .
Many fans and even agency owners today like to call our idols under employment or that you may support as super idol groups .After all no matter how big or small the group is or what your personal investment in their success is, you feel that they are the best, because of the personal attachment that you have established with them.
Onyanko Club was in all definitions the original Japanese idol super group. Like all idol groups Onyanko Club, were not without their share of problems as five members were released for before their debut for breaking one of the seven “Golden Rules” for Onyanko Club .Those rules were 1. Going to discos is forbidden.2. Writing your personal signature is forbidden.3. No drinking or smoking. 4. No boyfriends.5. When you go to the beach, you must have a guardian with you. 6. School first.7. No flashy outfits or heavy make-up.
In other words you cannot have any life other then school and Onyanko Club. Follow those rules and you will become a star, break those rules and you are gone. Like all rules, they are made to be broken, by those who try hard enough and this group had some who tried hard.
When Onyanko Club reached the point of a single debut on July 5, 1985, they entered the Oricon charts at #5 with “Sailor fuku wo nugasanaide" ("Don't take off my sailor uniform"), a song that everyone old enough to know of Onyanko Club remembers even today.
Sailor fuku wo nugasanaide would be their lowest ranked main group single. Single #2 Oyoshi ni natte ne TEACHER (1985.10.21) would enter at #2 ,then Onyanko Club followed that up with six #1 singles in a row ,before dropping a single in at #2 .
On the album front, Onyanko Club had only one album that was not ranked at #1-3, most were at #1 or #2.
When not making main unit records Onyanko Club were involved in all the same things that you see from idols today ,swimsuits, dramas, endorsements, movies, anime ,books, fan club events and variety shows . Onyanko Club had their own variety show that started four months before their debut single called Yuuyake Nyan Nyan [Sunset Meow Meow]. It was on this show that filmed episodes in and outside of Japan, which the concept of male dominated wota fan bases worshiping 16-22 year old idols took root and has become a large part of the economic structure of idol genre .One today cannot survive without the other.
Yuuyake Nyan Nyan [Basic Episode setup]
By the way for you Utaban fans, notice anyone famous on the show? Yes it`s the now famous Tunnels comedy team.
As part of their TV shows episodes time was devoted to member talents
Penalty games
Also on this show, they would also audition new members in front of the studio audience and vote in the ones they liked. Male audience members would compete in a contest for the opportunity of having their picture taken with their favorite member. Members competed in skills challenges to see who would get to sing their latest single on the show and the painful idea that idols could graduate was started by this show.
It was also on this show that we learned that future Utaban host Ishibashi Takaaki could create the idea of comedy torment and Japanese baseball player names for idols and make it an established industry art.
Outside of the main unit, Onyanko Club developed the idea of sub units. Onyanko Club had Nyangilas, Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi and Ushirogami Hikaretai.
Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi never had a single below #8 and had five #1 singles in a row. And just like Sasaregumi the other two sub units, were equally successful.
Onyanko Club before their closure in 1987 produced no fewer then 12 major soloists all with top ten or top three releases.
Onyanko Club’s legacy goes beyond the accomplishments written here ,there is just not enough time to list them all .Even the smallest of accomplishment has help shape the industry today.
While Onyanko Club may not be spoken of often by today’s idols, they are influenced by them. Onyanko Club used a member numbering system, Idoling!!! Uses the same system. AKB48, Morning Musume, Idoling!!! And many more groups use auditions and graduations to keep their franchises young. Every idol group big and small uses their own variety shows, Onyanko Club style marketing, and the wota support concept established by Onyanko Club as a way to support themselves.
Onyanko Club was the best of the best; they were the original idol super group.
[Talking about idol history and not including this idol would be wrong of me .After this topic, we will return to brighter history]
Okada Yukiko
[August 22, 1967-April 8, 1986]
How could someone so happy on the outside, have so much pain inside? That question will forever go unanswered.
Okada was born in Nagoya, she loved to read books, paint and like many girls in the 80`s she dreamed of becoming an idol. Okada went to every audition large and small, only to see rejection after rejection, until her little heart and big dreams took her to Nippon TV and a show called Star Tanjo! Okada was able to capture first place and her dreams of becoming an idol became real .Okada Yukiko was Japan’s newest idol.
A year of training and planning ended on April 21, 1984 when Okada debuted with her first single, "First Date" a nervous Yukiko misspoke and Japan suddenly saw this smiling, yet scared girl introduce herself as Yukko. This would be one of the few mistakes that Okada would make as she raced up the charts. Okada would end up winning rookie of the year, best new artist and have three hit singles all in her first year.
In her second year, Okada landed the leading role on her first television drama Kinjirareta Mariko, and in her third year, her new single “Lip Network” reached #1 on the Oricon weekly charts on February 10, 1986.
Japan and the idol world seem to be hers for the taking, for this always smiling, always happy young idol nothing seemed impossible, which made the events to come even more confusing to understand.
On April 8, 1986 with the idol world in the palm of her hands, members of her agency Sun Music went to her apartment and immediately the smell of gas was through the apartment and a search for Okada started.
Okada was discovered at 10 o’clock in her closet, her wrist slashed and crying. Japan’s smiling sweetheart was in pain . Okada was taken to her agencies office and after two hours in the building at 12:15, Okada Yukiko jumped to her death . Her young idol career was over at 18 . News of the event broke across Japan with the announcement of the passing of the always-happy Yukko, as she was known, for her misstep on TV . Okada`s fans reacted in horror and over the space of the next two weeks 31 of Okada`s fans joined her. Instead of getting ready to buy her new single a nation was preparing to bury many of it`s young .
How could a girl who’s smile became so famous , be so sad ? . We often forget that in order for idols to entertain their fans ,they have to hide their true feelings at times ,for not wanting to let everyone down ,if we see that they are in pain. Was she worried that her fans might not understand ,if she said, “I need to rest” ?
For what ever her reasons, the smiling face of Okada Yukiko kept secret that her heart was in pain. Okada Yukiko in her short career released 10 singles ,two after her death and the last in 2002 . She released eight albums again two after her death and to this day remains an important part of idol history and was ranked by Nippon TV as the 17th most important and historical woman in Japanese history.
Yukko as her fans called her to this day is remembered every April 8 ,as she will never be forgotten .
My memory of Yukko is not of April 8 , my memory of Yukko will always be smiling .
When looking back at Okada Yukiko our memories should not focus on how she left us, but the wonderful treasures that she gave the idol world.
[In the 80`s the music industry was over flowing with idols and you would have several on one show . Here is Okada in Idol Sumo]
Okada Yukiko ,Thank you for the smile that you gave.
UPDATE
It was always said that Okada Yukiko had the most beautiful smile of the 80`s era idols .She really did have a magical smile and innocence about her much like Michishige Sayumi ,minus her cute gimmick as Okada was very humble as was most idols back then. Okada was always so happy and smiling in public, that she earned the name “smiling princess” As her popularity grew; she scored a number of product ads and even made a video in Switzerland titled “Yukiko in Swiss”. It was this public image that has always made her passing so difficult to believe, she was never a victim of tabloid scandals .She was truly an idol that everyone wanted to support.
Here are the commercials that Okada made before passing away.
After Onyanko Club and before Morning Musume, the next major idol group was Tokyo Performance Doll. It is a belief that TPD was the true inspiration for Hello!Project recording artist Morning Musume and not Onyanko Club ,while Morning Musume does have some Onyanko influences ,they are nothing like the comparisons with TPD.
Why do I say that? Well TPD`s trademarks was the following.
Multi-membership. Graduations. Sub-units. Happy-poppy songs. Outrageous costume ideas. Smiling face dances, Energetic performances and sister units.
Did I mention that one of those sister units was from China? In addition, another was based in Osaka which Inaba Atsuko was a member of , why is Osaka important? Well H!P Kansai is based in Osaka , does this sound familiar ? It should ,you have watched the same thing in Hello!Project.
These are also all the things that have been trademarks of Morning Musume. Some Western fans may believe that Morning Musume started it all and that AKB48 is just riding the coattails of Morning Musume`s fame. In actuality, Morning Musume and AKB48 are not the original multi-member idol girl-groups , and certainly, the things that they do are not new either.
Epic-Sony Records formed Tokyo Performance Doll or TPD for short in April of 1990. TPD started out as a 3 member unit called “Golbies” they made up TPD`s core members, and future generations of TPD members were added in support [Sound Familiar?].
The goal of TPD was to bring about a "music revolution" within the entertainment industry.
[A music Revolution? Morning Musume, also had the same goal]
The initial concept of TPD was "the girls-next-door idols", but the concept was switched to "pro dancers" giving them a neo-Takarazuka look, causing TPD's popularity to soar to greater heights and attracting many more fans.
[Girls Next-Door Idols? Sound Familiar? ]
TPD's method of choosing a few core members, then building the group around them by recruiting more members was a new technique at the time and was later copied by other producers. Among them was Okinawa Actor's School from which many popular acts have come from, such as Super Monkeys (Amuro Namie and MAX), SPEED, D&D, Folder5, Y'z Factory etc. Hello! Project's Morning Musume also adopted this formula.
Morning Musume started of with five members, but the leads were mostly given to Fukuda Asuka and Abe Natsumi, while the others (Nakazawa Yuuko, Ishiguro Aya and Iida Kaori) provided the harmonies. With Fukuda's graduation, the main vocal was given to Abe Natsumi even though the 2nd generation members were recruited, the spark soon ran out, and a another ace was required, enter Goto Maki. The entire Morning Musume concept was built around the "aces" and "leads" as core members. Something that TPD had done yrs before the creation of Hello!Project .
TPD also had eight sub-units in the time that they were active ,Just like H!P would do many years later the core members and the "backing members" were shuffled together to form these units. One of those sub units was called TWO TOPS". Sound familiar? ,it should ,that's the nickname that Okamura Takashi of the comedy duo Ninety-Nine, gave to the "unofficial idol group" of the Mechaike Okajo Girls School series -> Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai.
As TPD developed ,they would set themselves apart from other idol units of their time with the use of “trainees” .These young hopefuls started out as backup dancers for selected TPD Lives and 1-2 times a year these “trainees” would have their own lives ,the set list by the way was TPD group & sub unit songs .
Again, sound familiar? It should, Hello! Project Eggs follows the same formula. These young talents in the Hello! Project “training” class are also used as back-dancers for Hello! Project concerts and they are given their own concerts.
This training class also brought Morning Musume two Chinese exchange students ,TPD had four Chinese members in a sister unit .
While AKB48 is all but a modern day Onyanko Club ,TPD certainly had an inspiration on Hello!Project and this is not a bad thing as the next generation of idols will be inspired by Morning Musume and the idols of today as the circle of idol life will continue.
Upcoming on Idol Flashback , we will continue our look at Onyanko Club’s TV show and a deeper look at their career and how they effected the careers of AKB48 and Morning Musume.
And we may take a look at an Idol tragedy .The life and death of Okada Yukiko and a nation torn by a young Idol`s secret pain. 24yrs after her passing ,her memory still remains in her fans hearts.
[Updated]
I am selecting a list of past Idols to talk about ,including the first Idol to ever wear glasses on TV .
I am also looking up recent footage of past idols as members of Morning Musume have been on variety shows with them and it was never mentioned that they were members of Onyanko Club . O-Club had 52 members ,so today’s idols stand a good chance of being on a show with at least one member in their career.
Idol Flashback is a new feature to Pure Idol Heart. In Idol Flashback we will take a look at various idols that help shape the current generation of Japanese Idol genre.
Idol Flashback will be a mix of videos and article features .The goal of this feature is to bring at times laughter and at times an historic connection to the current days.
Japanese Idol genre has a rich history that dates back several decades and Idol Flashback will take a look at yesterdays stars ,today.
So please look forward to this new feature and artist recommendations are welcomed.
[Re-posting as topic has been picked up , so making it easy to find]
I came across an old Idol game ,that if brought back today ,would fit any idol group’s TV show.
The year is 1987 and the group is Onyanko Club . In terms of relationships today Onyanko Club was what AKB48 is today ,Japan’s super idol group .
In fact AKB48`s founder Akimoto Yasushi ,created the Onyanko Club and the similarities between the two groups are in almost everything that AKB48 does today.
Onyanko Club ,played a very important role ,for all idol groups that followed them. Hello!Project`s producer Tsunku was a member of their fan base and it has been reported ,that a number of the senior management of Hello!Project were supporters of Onyanko Club.
In this game members of Onyanko Club have to guess what just flew past them , if they guess wrong ,they suffer a penalty ,much like what AKB48 members face on AKBINGO!
When you watch any of your favorite idols , keep in mind that everything that you enjoy today ,Onyanko Club ,played a vital part in creating.If it was not for the Onyanko Club ,you may not have the idols that you enjoy so much today.
[Re-posting as topic has been picked up , so making it easy to find]
If you have only watched Utaban ,then you maybe thinking that Morning Musume was the only idol group that Ishibashi Takaaki has picked on . Well that is not true , Taka-san also picked on Onyanko Club .
