The Fan Factor…
…How do you judge yourself as a H!P fan and does it really matter?
Is there much room for discussion here? A fan is a fan right? And there is nothing more to it. When it comes to Hello! Project however, I’m beginning to see factions existing in something as trivial as –what type of fan am I’. I say trivial because it has never been a subject that I have personally felt conscious about and I’m sure it goes the same for you to, or maybe not.
When we think we like something it’s as simple as the fact. Yet I now feel an anxiety within some Hello! Project fans. It’s not a big issue but certainly one that goes some distance to question why –we’ like Hello! Project artists and why –they’ like Hello! Project artists also.
Let’s stereotype the Japanese fan base as middle aged straight and narrow salary men, or the growing power of the otaku. On simple assumption alone some criticism or cynicism can be easily placed here, or that these stereotypes are easily targeted because of who they are. Though it’s true that the image of a middle aged man supporting young girls with a burning passion, maybe even obsession fails to look good or morally agreeable we just have to accept it and hope that their love for the artist(s) are formed on innocent principles. Maybe a naive passion (certainly applies to the otaku or younger fan). Who are we to judge? They have their reasons and we have ours. But it’s the portrayal and our own moral values that sometimes make us look down on these –fanboys’. Maybe you’re a fanboy reading this? The phrase holds a lot of negative connotations and we all have our own opinion of what makes a fanboy.
The Myth uncovered
But maybe being a fanboy isn’t such a bad thing or that it shouldn’t have to be. Is it a myth fashioned because of a few bad grapes? A false representation of the masses? Though I would like to believe; and do believe that some of the Hello! Project fan base that fit into this group are genuinely nice people, it has to be said that their zealous enthusiasm for the Idols comes off as obsessive. And although I believe there is nothing wrong with being healthily obsessed (if there is such a thing) with something you love, it’s more why they are obsessed than anything else.
The one fundamental motivation that rises above any other factor has to be their infatuation with the Idols themselves. Yet we shouldn’t really blame the fan for creating close material ties to the Idol. The way Hello! Project and certainly Morning Musume is angled to us we’re invited to learn, laugh, smile, cry and grow up with them. And when consumed with good intentions I think it’s a fantastic material bond to have, and certainly from a marketing standpoint simple genius.
The problem is
The term, or the adopted term for fanboy isn’t looked upon with distasteful eyes for nothing. Whether it’s a few members on certain forums, a portion of fans perceived through media output or just word of mouth stereotyping it’s these already mentioned –bad grapes’ that worry the male perspective fan base. It worries them because they feel as though they need to judge and value why they like Hello! Project to separate them from the fanboys.
Who are these people then? They’re whoever you make them out to be. But I would say they include the following attributes, feel free to add your own ideas here: – Overly obsessive, overly infatuated with the Idol(s) that they’re the only people in their lives, viewing the Idol(s) merely as sexual objects, and so on. I’ll admit I’m a proud and dedicated fan of Hello! Project and J-pop in general but like Ray Mescallado excelently put it in his blog round up just under two weeks ago on American Wota “True fans aren’t mindless slaves to their idols, loving everything the idol does without thinking for themselves”. If you are one of these mindless slaves, I think you have to start to question whether or not you’re too overly dependant on these Idols.
Don’t worry about it
It clearly bothers –boys who are fans’ people I like to call who don’t fit onto the fanboy charter. But they really shouldn’t worry about it because it just makes it a big issue and I don’t think it is. As long as you know that you’re a good fan and like them for the right reasons, if we can all agree on what the right reasons are then that’s all that should matter. And as for the urban legend that girl fans don’t exist, well if you look past the representation of who attends the concerts and who gets onto the live audiences on the related shows you’ll find that they do exist and there are plenty of them.