Tokyo Idols (2017) User Reviews

Storyville: Tokyo Girls

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 28 June 2017]

These comments are based on watching the one hour long version of this documentary shown as part of BBC4's 'Storyville' strand.

This documentary shines a light on the Japanese idol phenomenon; young female performers who are followed by predominantly middle aged male fans. For most of the time we follow twenty year old 'Rio' and her adoring fans. These fans seem more obsessed with their favourite idols that the teeny-bopper fans one would expect in the West; these people have money and spend the equivalent of thousands of US dollars each month going to concerts and meet and greets with their idols.

This was an interesting documentary showing a very different culture; I was aware of the idol phenomenon but didn't know much about it. I had assumed that those being followed would be a handful of major popstars but here we learn that there are thousands of such idols and they don't necessarily have recording contracts; that is something they aspire to and appear to work hard to achieve. Their ages were a real shock; Rio seemed to be one of the older ones; some were much younger and the sight of middle aged men idolising girls as young as ten seemed distinctly disturbing to western eyes. From what the men interviewed said it appeared that their adoration wasn't overtly sexual, in fact many of them seem to have deliberately eschewed traditional relationships as too much hassle. There was more than a degree of obsession though; I couldn't help thinking of the film 'Perfect Blue' as I watched some of the fans watching their idols. Overall this was an interesting insight into a very different culture that managed to be non-judgemental with those it showed us… of course viewers are free to make their own judgements.

Odd, very odd...

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 24 June 2017]

This documentary casts a balanced eye over a very strange phenomenon I had never even heard of, the Idol culture of Japan. This essentially amounts to teenage girls who double as pop singers and objects of idolisation for a fan-base. So far, not very strange, but the catch here is that the biggest percentage of the fans are older men, many in the 40s. It is a very strange spectacle to see older men faun over teenage girls in quite this way. Clearly, by this very fact this is by default a pretty controversial subject. In the west, such young girls would have fan-bases of even younger girls, not older men. So, there is a troubling aspect to the whole phenomenon where the motivations of many of the fans must clearly by somewhat dark in nature. While the sub-culture involving the even younger pop idols definitely seemed to be coming from a questionable place. But when watching this I couldn't help but sense a cultural gap that I could never quite bridge. I could never really understand the motivations of the men who followed these teenage girls, it remained very odd indeed and it did seem to stem from a Lolita sub-culture which is embedded in Japan in some complex way. It was partially disturbing, yet bizarrely innocent on a different level – I essentially left the theatre baffled by it all.

A haunting portrait of a truthful and disturbing phenomenon.

[tyson-hunsaker · 8/10 · 19 February 2017]

Tokyo Idols was showed at the Sundance Film Festival before gaining a wider audience and the director and creator of the documentary has experienced a strong and skillful beginning to hopefully a successful career. I had the opportunity to speak with her after the showing and found her perspective insightful and her courage to expose an interesting aspect of Japanese culture refreshing.

Having lived in Japan for a few years, the subject matter explored in this documentary felt extremely genuine and honest. The film delves into 'Idols" in Japan while introducing fans of the concept and the heavy influence this culture has had on the Japanese people. Furthermore, the content speaks volumes to the impact this can have for individuals and society and also what it could mean for the future of the growing divide between people.

This documentary also had the nerve to not only unravel the negative and disturbing ideas the "Idol" culture entails, but also some positive things that come to those entangled with these popular super stars. When looking at the narrative structure as a whole, the arch is cohesive and fulfilling. At times it's difficult to determine who is who since some of the cuts aren't as smooth as they could be. However, this is a minor flaw that feels insignificant when questions are eventually resolved.

The work is bound to grow in controversy when showings hit Japan since controversy has already been cultivating here in the United States. Despite the lash the creator(s) will receive regarding this highly accepted and touchy subject, Tokyo Idols is a valuable and important piece that should be shared for those who love or hate this Idol culture.

Anyone who is interested in this culture and learning more, this documentary is a fascinating portrait of a culture that feels different than ours. Even for those not interested, this feels like an important documentary that everyone should get around to seeing it. Personally, this hit several emotional chords that feel relatable since I lived there but it's definitely not exclusive to people who have lived there. Anyone can find this fascinating and that's why this documentary is highly recommended.

A good introduction to the J-Pop Idol phenomenon.

[mumblerah · 7/10 · 1 August 2018]

This documentary follows one up-and-coming performer's career as she starts to gain momentum in Tokyo. It focuses on her hardcore fanbase, and how the performer/biggest fans act and react around each other, and their motivations for doing what they do. As someone who views the culture with some distain it did a good job of presenting the fans fairly without holding them up in a cage on display. Some of them do seem to have genuinely innocent intentions and enjoy their lifestyles with this obsession in their lives. The documentary does touch on both the mainstream idols as well as the indie and even preteen idols - an area well known for controversy as to the morality behind it. However, it does not dwell deep into this as the people this documentary focuses on are all technically adults. One area I thought should have been covered was the people who actually make the majority of the profits from idols (i.e. the managers and record labels). Japan has not quite caught up yet (yes a massive generalisation) with gender balance and rights, which the film does touch on. In fact, many of the subjects of the film are aware of the outside view on the culture, and the cultural progression that this subculture seems to be working against. I'd recommend this documentary to anyone mildly curious about the mindset behind an idol's followers, or someone unaware of the idol/otaku subcultures.

Disturbing commentary

[mikeww-64309 · 7/10 · 21 February 2021]

I saw this film at a doc festival and here's what I took away in my notes....not so pleasant... The film to me was a glimpse and commentary on the Japanese pop idol culture. Alongside the performance aspect is the social engagement side...managed interaction events between the fans (mostly men) and the younger (under 20) girls. This a marketed and controlled industry with the "fans" voting in competitions for the next big thing. Borne out of recession times it gave people something to socially "cling" to. My final note was "one screwed up society". Judge for yourself.

Ersatz comfort in the absent of human contact.

[natridiuretico · 8/10 · 3 October 2017]

An interesting glimpse to businesses, market, culture and a demographics by the accounts of the people on it. The documentarian is barely there, never to be heard. However the camera speaks by moving portraits of the people and the city. The comments of the executives are cold and brash compare to the hype and alacrity of the young women they work with, as well as the melancholic hope evident in the fans. Overall the documentary conveys a portrait of isolation and loneliness, a glimpse of how patriarchy and market can exploit both genders most sublimes human characteristics.

Incomplete Music Docudrama.

[net_orders · 6/10 · 18 February 2018]

TOKYO IDOLS. Viewed on Streaming. Cinematography (semi-wide screen, color) = seven (7) stars; lighting = seven (7) stars; sound = seven (7) stars; subtitles = six (6) stars. Director Kyoko Miyake takes a scripted (see below) look at perhaps the lowest level in Japan's huge music-industry food-chain: amateur "Idol" performers. These are teenage and preteen (see below) girls who "sing" and energetically dance about (but do not play instruments) to recorded music wearing skimpy Manga-styled costumes while lip-syncing to songs (usually not their own) in smallish rooms with makeshift stages and a dozen or two predominately adult males. According to Miyake, this legal exploitation of very young women has been around for quite some time (at least on the fringes) and has now become a big business (pulling down somewhere around $1-2B USD per year). In a way it is Japan's version of what has often occurred (and still does) in the West starting, perhaps, with the bobby-sock craze of the 1940s in the USA. The movie focuses on aging Akihabara-based Idol Rio Hiiragi ("Rio-Rio" seems to be her stage name) who has obviously left her teenage years behind (and readily admits it) and her: core fans; apparent business manager (and lover?); parents; and entrepreneurial talents as an Internet retailer. She is also shown on a cross-country bike ride (to Kyushu) ostensibly to gain notoriety, although this sequence of scenes appears to be concocted primarily to increase the movie's length. (Nice bike, though--very expensive!) Miyake seems to be trying to describe the Idol subculture as a mash up of many not-necessarily-desirable factors (mostly due to that ubiquitous scapegoat and punching bag "The Internet"). However, what is on view is just another manifestation of aging adults obsessed with extending/reclaiming their youth via some form of physical interaction with children. The Director punctuates her film with what look like scripted "interviews" of vaguely identified (or not identified at all) folks about their take on the Idol phenomenon and culture. (Miyake is also credited as script writer.) Audience responses to performers look suspiciously rehearsed (choreographed?) or at least directed from behind the camera! Female fans (a sizable community) are occasionally glimpsed, but otherwise ignored. Exactly how a young girl matriculates from an amateur to a "professional" (or A-list) Idol is left pretty vague (via the proverbial "casting couch," perhaps?), but scenes of little girls (10 years and younger) performing Idol routines for adult males are creepy and seem to be borderline pedophilia. The business side of Idolism (talent agencies, recruiting, training, promoting, merchandising, etc.) is all but missing in the movie--a glaring (intentional?) omission! Also left unaddressed (except for scenes of Rio-Rio performing studio singing and auditioning for voice-overs) is what happens to aging/former Idols. A very mixed bag. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

There are more to discuss about Japanese Idols

[svgamer0733 · 8/10 · 26 July 2017]

This is a good documentary movie. It really reflects the real life of an "average" idol in Japan.

However, there are much more to discuss about this "Idol Phenomenon" in Japan.

Unfortunately, this film didn't discuss much more beyond what other Japanese documentary has already covered. But for English speaking audience this may be their first time understanding a small part of this unique social event in Japan.

I did a bit studies in this phenomenon.

AKB48 is briefly mentioned in this film. As a milestone of idol industry, their new approach to audience and business model are already deeply discussed in many Japanese documentary movies. This is probably

There are also many "underground idols" struggle very hard to get more fans and publicity. They have to live a ghetto life because they aren't making enough money while they are chasing their dreams. A couple of Japanese documentary has revealed it.

Until now, there are only books but not yet a film discuss two new phenomenons in this industry.

The first one is the impact of the social network. It burst a huge change to this industry. And there are always new things changed every year. For example, SHOWROOM, which showed up during this movie, was a mainstream "idol-focus" live streaming website. It's the most important live streaming website for idol industry in year 2017.

The second one is how "local idols" start to really mean it. NGT48 was not the first idol group focus on local audience and work with local enterprise. But NGT48 was the first idol group actually boost up the GDP of the local area(Niigatta Prefecture in this case), acknowledged by local government, residents, and enterprise.

Japan is the only country that has so many idols and mascots that many festivals and conferences have audience and participants for more than 10,000 people, thus budget and income.

A Mistranslated and Misunderstood Documentary

[IdolL0v3r · 4/10 · 28 July 2017]

This review is for the 59 minute edit shown on BBC 4, a U.K. TV station. This edit has been uploaded to the internet and it's the one I saw.

Tokyo Idols a.k.a. Tokyo Girls (BBC title) is a documentary made by filmmaker Kyoko Miyake who had grown up in Japan but moved to the U.K. She didn't understand or care for the Japanese idol pop music scene when she was growing up and this film shows that clearly. It seems the director had an agenda from the start and she intended to make a film that demonized the Japanese idol music genre. Worse, according to a bilingual young woman on social media, the English subtitles in this film mistranslated the dialogue actually spoken, at least in part. This made one fan of the music group amorecarina come across worse than he should have. Also, some of the hand-held camera shots were awful. These are reasons why I can only give the movie four stars out of ten.

The bulk of the edit I watched focused on a singer who doesn't even consider herself an idol to begin with, Rio Hiiragi. She is trying hard to win over idol fans with songs titled "Worship Me" and "Banzai! Banzai!", both of which are egomaniacal. Unfortunately this is par for the course for much of the mainstream idol scene in which songwriters, producers and idol groups all try to convince people that their mediocre songs are the greatest songs ever recorded. I assure you, they are not. Only short sections of the film are dedicated to other, far more interesting, idols, including amorecarina and Harajuku Monogatari. The parents of the young idols profiled are the only participants besides the fans that have anything positive to say about the music. The fans interviewed are also among the more extreme fans and not the average type of fan. This makes the idol fan base seem much worse than it actually is. Many fans are fairly normal with average lives who just happen to be a fan of Japanese pop music sung by perky girls. Socialogists chime in with their negative comments about the whole scene, which they are disgusted by. The more positive qualities of idol music are ignored. This is a form of music that is meant to make you happy and feel good about yourself and your life. The smiles from the idols, their cute voices and energetic songs are uplifting to many fans. The idols are trying give you hope.

The director claims in interviews that she looked for ex-idols to interview for her film and found none. I accuse her of not looking hard enough. There are plenty of former idols living in Japan so obviously Miyake-san was not interested in including their views in her film. Also largely ignored in the movie are female idol fans. There are plenty of females throughout the whole world who like Japanese idol music. Again, the director didn't want to present their point of view possibly to keep her negative outlook of the fans throughout the movie. I'm sure an interview with a normal female fan would have made the fans look good, and that would have gone against what she was aiming for. If one thinks Japanese culture is weird it's probably because filmmakers like Kyoko Miyake have no intention of making the culture look good.

Lastly, I want to clear up a few things about the idols. The group amorecarina is spelled exactly the way I typed it, as one word with lower case letters. It's typed this way on the official websites and various social media websites for the three amorecarina groups. Yes, there are now amorecarina groups in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Those who type the name in any other way obviously don't know anything about this group. The member of amorecarina profiled in the film is Yuzuha Oda. Yuzu is her nickname. Yuzuha, and many amorecarina members glimpsed in the film, have now left the group. Yuzuha was in another group named EDMKISS for about six months, but has also left this group. The fan of amorecarina who is interviewed was saying that he was interested in the girls' budding talent and personalities, not their bodies. No sexual implications are actually being said, at least according to the woman who did a podcast of her thoughts on this movie. Harajuku Monogatari is the correct name of this group, who were spawned from the group Millennium Girls. "Story", used in the film, is the translation of "monogatari". All of the footage in this movie was filmed in 2015. The idols in this movie are all two years older.

The Mystery of Japanese Culture

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 26 July 2017]

Girl bands and their pop music permeate every moment of Japanese life. Following an aspiring pop singer (Rio) and her fans, Tokyo Idols explores a cultural phenomenon driven by an obsession with young female sexuality, and the growing disconnect between men and women in hyper-modern societies.

To the western world, Japanese culture is quite a mystery, especially the sexual aspects. This is a country that sells used underwear in vending machines and makes animated pornography featuring squids. Even the school "sailor" uniforms have become highly fetishized (though, in fairness, so have Catholic skirts in America).

"Tokyo Idols" does not explore a topic that is explicitly sexual, but does seem to have that aspect lurking just below the surface. Die-hard fans of grown men called "otaku" practice what they call a religion of following young women around as they sing and dance. One man, a transportation worker, comes across as especially creepy, paying $2,000 each month to follow a teenager he admits he is romantically interested in.

Critics of the otaku say Japanese men "worship virginity" and "fear strong women"; but, again to be fair, this is not all that different from American pop stars and beauty pageants. The film is fascinating in how it covers so many angles of what could be a simple topic: the path to success for young women, whether the fans are creeps or father figures, and just the sheer abundance of idols (10,000) in Tokyo alone! "Tokyo Idols" screens July 26, 2017 at the Fantasia International Film Festival. For those who love cultural documentaries, this is a must-see. Japan is a strange place, and this film only adds to the mystery.

Don't look for closure

[SomeGuyName · 8/10 · 1 December 2017]

This is a documentary that will seem disturbing to most westerners, and Japan is such a rapid- evolving and unique society that it will always seem weird to people outside of Asia. If you are looking for something that will "explain" Japan, this is not the documentary.

If you know much about the fan culture of Japan, this is not the documentary, either. It is well made, but I don't think I learned anything new. It takes the arguably the worst side of Japanese fan culture(middle-aged single men who adore dancing teenage girls in school uniforms) and explores the different takes on what caused this fringe trend to go mainstream in the first place.

Sitting in a room surrounded by fan merchandise from the Idols and various teddy bears of cartoon characters, the middle aged men tries to explain their obsession. All the themes are explored; the cultural cleft between men and women in Japan, old-fashioned beliefs about women, natural inclination towards obsession, issues with intimacy, loneliness and pedophilia. The documentary never picks one answer, and I think that was a wise decision. All men are there for a different reason, and so it seems with the Idols on stage.

The Idols of Japan are forced to act like they are almost in love with each and every fan in order to keep their business running. This is not new to me, as I've seen how girls in Kpop groups are punished quite severely by their fan base if it is revealed that they are dating a guy(Japan is not the only Asian country obsessed with female innocence). They wear costumes that are clearly having a cutesy children theme, yet they always show their legs. They send letters to their fans in which they write stuff like "You are special" and "I love you".

Men even pay for being allowed to shake hands with the girls and talk to them; which sounds like nothing special, until you hear that people in Japan only started shaking hands 10-20 years ago - so it is still seen as something quite intimate, sometimes erotic. So a 13 year old girl shaking hands all day with middle aged guys... yeah.

I read in an interview about this documentary that a female journalist has received major backlash for speaking up in the comments she added in this documentary. She said that the reason it is seen as acceptable for middle-aged men to idolise girls as young as ten years old, is because the Japanese society cares about pleasing men the most. That they idolise these girls and almost view them as their girlfriends, because real women are too demanding to them, and too hard to dominate.

I'm disappointed that she's apparently not allowed to say her opinion, when the gender dynamic in this Idol setup is so obvious. Of course, a person knowing nothing about Japan is going to leave with a negative impression after watching this - that doesn't mean that it's not an issue to be explored.

I know the issue is more complex than that - but it is essential to include the hard-to-ignore gender dynamic of current Japan, where the expectations from either gender are so different that neither can live up to the other's ideal. So many men and women in Japan can't even stand the thought of living with someone of the opposite sex, let alone have children with them. I don't think the country can afford to just look the other way and freak out every time someone points at the obvious sexism.

Odd fans indeed

[bettycjung · 26 March 2018]

3/24/18. A disturbing look (there's no other way to put it) at the very popular Japanese cultural phenomenon -J-pop Idol Rio teen girl band. The band is not disturbing, but the fans sure are, made up mostly of mid-aged men ogling these young girls, an odd collection of male groupies who seemed to be too old for this kind of adoration. Oh, well, you have to watch this to believe it.

Interesting Glimpse into Another Odd Part of Japanese Culture

[alisonc-1 · 8/10 · 26 July 2017]

"Tokyo Idols" is a documentary about the very young (10 to 18 or so, generally speaking) Japanese girls who become pop singers and cultural "icons" to a segment of Japanese society, in particular certain men aged about 30 to 50. These girls are pretty, cheerful, energetic and very much conditioned to want to please their fans. While this sounds creepy, and in some ways is creepy, the world of these idols is very controlled - the singers will have "handshake" meetings with their fans, for example, but the men are only allowed to shake the girls' hands and there are "minders" standing behind the men and forcing them to move from one idol to another after a set number of seconds has passed. So the girls are relatively safe in what could be a very dangerous situation. This film primarily follows Rio, a relative elder in the scene given that she's 19 as the film begins, 21 at the end of it. The filmmaker, Kyoko Miyake, is very gentle with all the characters; even when you think some of these men are terrible, she always treats them with respect and dignity and, in the end, the viewer is more likely to feel sorry for them than anything else (well, except the young man who is only interested in girls around the age of 10 - they "no longer interest" him when they get older than that). It's a really interesting glimpse into another Japanese phenomenon, complete with commentary from journalists, sociologists and others who have a stake in the culture; well done.

Gorgeous, Evocative

[xfansd-32866-WIKIman · 8/10 · 26 December 2022]

Will spark jealousy in Western Karens and those stuck with Western Karens.

I bet people do not surmise that the director is likely a femcel who sports short hair. And I say this not even knowing her.

To hate on a whole class of talent and despise nature, natural attraction and love for the opposite sex takes some kind of a temerity and that kind of temerity manifests itself in the form of a so-called documentary here.

For the rest of us normal, natural and seeing people: The film depicts idols (Japanese pop stars) who are attractive, sport healthy body types and work on their talents and for their audiences 24x7.

The film tries on a line of attack. It fails. No montage can stand in the way of beauty.

Fan Adoration That Steps Over The Line Into Absolutely Perverted Fanaticism

[StrictlyConfidential · 1/10 · 7 June 2020]

Not being Japanese, myself - I'm kinda wondering if maybe (just maybe) I might've missed the whole point of "Tokyo Idols", an off-putting documentary that appears to be glorifying lechery.

'Cause the clear message that this foreign pop-culture presentation sent to me was that in Japan, today, there are millions of middle-aged (and older) Japanese men who are idolizing (to the point of erotic fanaticism) thousands of teenage Japanese girl singers.

And, let me tell ya - The overall talent and singing abilities of these young girls is mediocre, at best. And, yet - The out-of-proportion idolization by these older men of these young girls has caused this inferior brand of manufactured pop music to top the charts all across that nation.

Anyway - That's the general drift of the message that "Tokyo Idols" sent to me.

A fascinating look on the idol culture in Japan

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 8/10 · 5 October 2019]

The idol culture is huge in Japan, and moves tons of money. This documentary, even with some shortcomings, tries to understand a little bit of what goes on around the idol world, and what are the reasons it is so important in the country. To do so, it particularly centers on one of the idols, what moves her, and why did she decide to take this path in her career (society kind of gives few options for women, seems the documentary to be vying for?) and one of her oldest fans, a guy that seems to be there for lack of better options. The documentary does a great job of humanizing all the persons that appear in it (even if it is clear to see some 'criticism' towards some of them) and of pointing out to aspects of a phenomenon that show that it cannot be understood by itself, outside of the bigger picture: why do these people use so much money to follow the idols around? why want young girls want to become idols? etc., etc.

Of course, the movie has an agenda. And of course it is a kind of Westernized look on the subject. And of course, it understands what is normal (or not) or accepted (or not) in a particular way (as when the director asks the idol or the fan about having a partner, the desire to marry, etc.). That does not take from a very fascinating look on an aspect of a society that informs about bigger aspects of that society, its culture, its institutions (and the world).