this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
87 points (97.8% liked)

World News

38979 readers
2937 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 8 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] alienanimals@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Rich fucks and getting away with crime. Can you name a more iconic duo?

[–] sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My mother was an OG stan and used to follow TOKIO and KinKi kids (and I’m sure we have some cassettes/CDs of theirs in our attic), and even she talks about the terrible abuse rumours that went around during those days. For context, those two groups debut around 1993 or 94.

This has been going on for a long time. The J-Idol market (like most entertainment media industries) needs a top to bottom cleanup. I hope the victims at least find some peace.

[–] keeb420@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have no idea if KinKi kids is a bad translation, an abriviation, or what but it looks like someone was trying to tell on themselves with that in English.

[–] sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Haha, Kinki is actually another (old school) name for Kansai region in Japan. In Kanji it’s basically “Near the capital” (Kyoto at the time).

So KinKi Kids were named because they grew up in Kansai. I actually don’t know if the double entendre was intentional when they started!

[–] GregoryTheGreat@programming.dev 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I really do not like the phrase “teen idol market”

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oh yeah. The industry is just straight up creepy. The "talent" gets scouted as kids and gets used up for a couple of years until they get "too old" and maybe some of them transition into successful entertainment careers in adulthood. Some are able to go back to a "normal" life if their career was short and easily forgotten. Others might get away with a short gravure career... Others still go on to join the AV industry.

Of course, some enjoy their careers, and have no regrets about their choices.

But change is still badly needed. The idol industry has contracts that get really fucking close to straight up slavery with how tightly the agencies control the personal lives of the "talent". And that some are willing, doesn't excuse the treatment of the many who aren't.

And that's just industry standard, before we even consider the abuse happening behind closed doors.

[–] MrAlagos@feddit.it 9 points 1 year ago

I would also like to add that another horrible treatment of young men and women involved in the Japanese idol market (I would call it a meat market even) is the immense social pressure from the talent companies, which has been ruled illegal and unconstitutional, to keep romantic relationships secret, to always appear "available" to the fans. Despite the rulings there are still idols who get caught up in "scandals" from time to time and are more or less forced to issue massive apologies or leave their agency.

[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

So this Kitagawa guy is the Japanese version of Lou Pearlman?