How come we rarely see female Jmusic artists in Jdramas?

[Keizou]

Many j-dramas have several male j-music artists as lead roles but we rarely see a female artist in a lead role (or even in any role)

Take the Jdrama, my boss, my hero for instance, the lead was from the the j-music group Tokio and there was also one guy from NEWS and one from KAT-TUN It's good for the girls, but I think their overdoing it sometimes.

The only female artists that I can think of that have been in a j-drama are Ai Otsuka in Tokyo Friends and Mari Yaguchi as Yurika in Galcir (Mari isn't even part of Moring musume anymore(!)

Anyways,
As a J-music and J-drama fan, I definitely think that more female artists should be a chance as lead roles in J-dramas. If they can take someone from KAT-TUN, NEWS and Tokio, why can't they have some from Morning Musume or Hinoi Team etc.

If your with me on this one then post what female artist you would like to see in a J-drama!

[Namida Iro]

I'm a female so I've no complaints on the fact that there are many J-male artistes, but I agree that the females should be given some chance too! I would like to see YUI, Younha and ayaka!

[gryzze]

I've seen quite a few: Abe Natsumi, Fukuda Saki, Goto Maki, Matsu Takako, Matsuura Aya, Ueto Aya etc...

If you exclude all the Johnnies I wonder how many male artists that would be left...

To answer the poll: I want to see less artists, male AND female in dramas.

[kokitty]

Couple of things

1) Through the years, there's always been very sucessful singer/idol turned actresses. Maybe the current batch of female singers just ain't talented in acting enough to make the transistion. Take the present 2 regining drama ratings queen, Shinohara Ryoko and Nakama Yukie. Shinohara san was a successful singer (even had a mil hit single) before she made it big in acting. Nakama san released 1 not so sucessful single before she switched to acting. The top actresses in dramas 1 decade ago, Noriko Sakai, Miho Nakayama were successful idols/singers before venturing into acting. Those girls from Morning Musume were given chances to venture into acting allright. Matsura Aya had the lead-role in an NTV drama which rated less than 6%, Maki Goto's drama sp last year had similarly dismal ratings, not to mention terrible reviews in acting. If they had a little more success in these projects, you bet producers will be lining up to cast them now.

2) How do you define someone as a j-music artist? From what you've described in your paragraph, i''m under the impression that you're referring to someone who got his/her start in the entertainment industry as singer or whose career is primarily music focused. According to this defn, then least the leading man in MBMH is NOT j-music artist primarily. He acted in his first drama before his band even released their first single, for years, his band is more famous and successful for the variety shows they host rather than their music. If you consider Nagase Tomoya strictly as a j-music artist, then Shibasaki Kou and Matsu Takako are j-music artists too.

As a J-music and J-drama fan, I believe in letting the more talented ones have their chances irregardless of their background. Currently, the magazine/print idols seem to have proven to be better actresses than the Morning Musume gals etc. By giving Matsura Aya or Maki Goto a 3rd/4th chance, you'll be depriving tha chances of people like Horikita Maki, Toda Erika, Aragaki Yui which have proven to be good. That isn't fair and would be and extremely silly thing to do.

Personally i think the Johnny's guys would be considered as idols/entertainers rather than j-music artist. If they have proven themselves to be great actors or whose primarily work is acting, then they shouldn't be treated differently from other actors. Come on, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Odagiri Joe, Tamaki Hiroshi etc releases singles/albums too.

[Keizou]

ok I'm not here to read an essay ....but

when I say jmusic artists i'm talking about those who started in the jmusic industry but made their way to act in dramas

so i'm trying to say that more females that have started in the j-music industry should be making their way in to more dramas

[kokitty]

ok I'm not here to read an essay ....but

then try getting your facts correct for a change

when I say jmusic artists i'm talking about those who started in the jmusic industry but made their way to act in dramas

Then this makes your argument for wanting more female jmusic artists in acting cos there are so many male jmusic artists doing that invalids. Reason being most of those males are not jmusic artists in the first place. Out of the 3 guys stated in your example, 2 got their start in acting instead of music.

so i'm trying to say that more females that have started in the j-music industry should be making their way in to more dramas

Presently no.

[battlegirlai]

i have to agree with kokitty on this one. generalizing will bite ya in the tushie. there are lots of female singers that act as well.

plus...if female japanese music artists want to act, i'm sure there are tons of companies that will let them. so, the ones that aren't acting are most likely not acting out of personal choice.

[groink]

My theories:

1. There are more males than females categorized as "idols". It was the total opposite in the 1980s and most of the 1990s. But by the 2000s, it has changed. Now the males are dominating the idol scene. Shopping at Japanese book stores, I see way more male idol magazines than female.

2. Take the biggest idol factory for each gender: Johnny's Jimusho and UP-FRONT (Hello! Project). Focus on acting differ between the two agencies. Johnny's Jimusho trains their boys to become actors as well as dancers and singers. UP-FRONT on the other hand train their girls to become mostly dancers and singers, and therefore acting may be something that comes natural to the girls.

3. Johnny Jimusho is a MUCH stronger and more influential body than UP-FRONT, with a more broad selection of talent. Johnny's also seem to draw a lot more advertising dollars to anything they appear in. The problem I see with UP-FRONT is that they focus too much on Morning Musume and a handful of the independants like Matsuura Aya. Whereas with Johnny, you can take the top-10 boy groups and they've ALL been in dramas. Even with Morning Musume, less than half of both current and former members have appeared in TV dramas.

4. By appeal alone, male idols are equally adored by fans of both sexes. It seems that female idols are adored more by male fans and less by female fans. IMHO, the males also seem to have a much cleaner appearance than the females. During the 1980s, female idols represented girls with the "girl next door / your parents would love her" appeal, which is why with their pure, wholesome appearance, they were very popular in TV dramas. Today, if Koda Kumi was the girl next door.... well, let's just say her drama debut would be on TV Tokyo Friday night 12-midnight, and your father would be staying downstairs late at night to watch.

5. It is all about writing. In TV dramas, male characters are the primary focus on stories a lot more frequent than female characters. Especially in school-oriented dramas. Males of that age are supposed to be a lot stronger in personality than females. IMHO, if writers made the female characters of this genre strong, it would actually turn off viewers. Also, shojo manga has most of the strong female lead characters, but I don't see shojo books used as much as non-shojo.

6. Even the big advertising queens can't help the viewership numbers. Look at Ueto Aya last few renzoku: Hotelier - 8.6, Shimokita Sundays - 7.32... In comparison to the male idols shows, they're statistically consistent in the 15-plus percentile (Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, etc. In other words, drama writers write what is appealing in advertising dollars. If you don't believe in my points 1 through 5, point 6 alone is the make/break for TV dramas.

Again, these are just my theories.

--- groink

[Crazy Penguin]

Not to mention, groink, that Johnny's has been pumping out some really good young actors. While the Hello Project, well... I can't think of any really good one coming from there. Matsuura... oh please... When playing tough she's like Ueto, totally unconvincing (Ueto as Azumi... oh for crying out loud, so not scary).

Additionally, there aren't many actresses who've never had a music career. The only two I can think of right now are Kuriyama Chiaki and Suzuki Ann (however, I remember that Kuriyama used to sing on a show once, though that was related to a drama and she did it with the rest of her colleagues). All the others that cross my mind all did something with music at one stage of their career or somehow dropped into singing for whatever reason.

And you have to keep in mind that there are more women in Japan than men (proven by statistics). So it only makes sense to appeal the female audience more than the male

Hello Project... blargh... They can play... cute, but I don't see any of them pull off parts like Shibasaki and Kuriyama have done (Dororo? The drill instructor in Kisarazu Cats' Eyes? The HP girls would be hopelessly lost and totally unconvincing). Now the AKB48 girls are starting with acting, too (at least one of them, for now, just wait till the rest pops up)

[Natsu-chan]

You're right. Have you noticed however that the males you mentioned in your example are from Johnny's Entertainment? (boys' entertainment industry owned by Johnny Kitagawa). Such JE groups include the ones you've mentioned + Kanjani8, Arashi, Kinki Kids, Takki & Tsubasa...
I'd definately love to seem female J-Artists in dramas Like Keiko Kitagawa& Leah Dizon (her Japanese is good) ^__^ Perhaps not seeing them acting in dramas has something to do with their entertainment industries.

[groink]

And you have to keep in mind that there are more women in Japan than men (proven by statistics). So it only makes sense to appeal the female audience more than the male

Exactly! Not only that, several articles I've read indicate that females in Japan have more money to spend than males. That makes females the number-one target for advertisers and the geinokai in general. As the years go by, young women in Japan are less and less likely to get married, thereby they continue to live at home with her parents, and end up with excessive cash they can spend on themselves

The one article that sticks in my mind was about women who are over the age of 30 but still unmarried. There's even a term for them - makeinu or parasite singles. Anyway, most women over the age of 30 tend to live with her parents rather than move to a place by herself. As a result, she can spend a large portion of her earnings on frivolous things, such as expensive purses, eating out, and taking trips to Hawaii. When in Hawaii, that's when they meet up with groink-san. j/k

Addressing the topic... I think some of you don't catch what Keizou meant by female j-music artists. It is really difficult to put this into words, other than to say that when I think of Ueto Aya or Matsu Takako, they're actresses first, and singers secondary. Like Crazy Penguin said, more and more actresses are cutting CDs. BUT, that does not make each and every one of them singers in the sense of Keizou's question - which is why I fully understand his concern. Same thing with modeling - who exactly is a model? I tried explaining this to someone on DramaWiki where he was attempting to tag just about every actress as a model. Sakai Noriko has appeared in many magazines modeling clothing. But despite that, she would not be coined a "model" as a profession. Rather, she modeled clothing as a novelty. And I think the same thing applies to actresses who take up music as a secondary profession. The opposite is also true - even though Matsuura Aya appeared in a few TV dramas, it doesn't make her an actress by profession.

--- groink

[phramc]

they all beat me to exactly what I was going to say.

[Rikayla]

Currently, the magazine/print idols seem to have proven to be better actresses than the Morning Musume gals etc. By giving Matsura Aya or Maki Goto a 3rd/4th chance, you'll be depriving tha chances of people like Horikita Maki, Toda Erika, Aragaki Yui which have proven to be good. That isn't fair and would be and extremely silly thing to do.

I would say no, just to agree with that point. And the same goes with male artists, though yes, JE boys are quite at acting.

Though it would be really interesting to see ayaka in an acting role... I mean, YUI has had a chance, and so has Ai Otsuka...

[viet_la_amour]

I can't believe I actually took the time to read all that....lol. Good points.=)

[fourleg]

And you have to keep in mind that there are more women in Japan than men (proven by statistics). So it only makes sense to appeal the female audience more than the male

Exactly! Not only that, several articles I've read indicate that females in Japan have more money to spend than males. That makes females the number-one target for advertisers and the geinokai in general. As the years go by, young women in Japan are less and less likely to get married, thereby they continue to live at home with her parents, and end up with excessive cash they can spend on themselves

The one article that sticks in my mind was about women who are over the age of 30 but still unmarried. There's even a term for them - makeinu or parasite singles. Anyway, most women over the age of 30 tend to live with her parents rather than move to a place by herself. As a result, she can spend a large portion of her earnings on frivolous things, such as expensive purses, eating out, and taking trips to Hawaii. When in Hawaii, that's when they meet up with groink-san. j/k

Addressing the topic... I think some of you don't catch what Keizou meant by female j-music artists. It is really difficult to put this into words, other than to say that when I think of Ueto Aya or Matsu Takako, they're actresses first, and singers secondary. Like Crazy Penguin said, more and more actresses are cutting CDs. BUT, that does not make each and every one of them singers in the sense of Keizou's question - which is why I fully understand his concern. Same thing with modeling - who exactly is a model? I tried explaining this to someone on DramaWiki where he was attempting to tag just about every actress as a model. Sakai Noriko has appeared in many magazines modeling clothing. But despite that, she would not be coined a "model" as a profession. Rather, she modeled clothing as a novelty. And I think the same thing applies to actresses who take up music as a secondary profession. The opposite is also true - even though Matsuura Aya appeared in a few TV dramas, it doesn't make her an actress by profession.

--- groink

Hi groink, you seriously need to learn to be more concise when writing posts. This is a message board for god's sake! ...also, you need to get a life

[AfricanBean]

I thought his post was pretty concise. Moreover his posts are genuinely filled with content that gives me the impression he actually knows what he's talking about.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind seeing more female j-music artists in dramas as long as they have the chops to act.

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

Hi groink, you seriously need to learn to be more concise when writing posts. This is a message board for god's sake! ...also, you need to get a life

...OR....YOU need to not worry about criticizing his posts (which btw are usually great posts). don't reply to topics just to bag on people. consider yourself warned.

[vulgarshudder]

groink knows his stuff! He said what I wanted to only much better lol

[IndieRockerette]

Hi groink, you seriously need to learn to be more concise when writing posts. This is a message board for god's sake! ...also, you need to get a life

Who are you to criticize him? He shared his opinion, which we all are entitled to, and you should respect that. Please do not post if you're going to vituperate anyone in that manner. I, and I'm sure many others, read Groink's posts and find them very enlightening. And even if his posts were verbose (which they are not), I'd still read them.

I also agree with Groink. Like vulgarshudder said, he said everything I wanted to say, only much better ! Please keep up the great posts Groink!

[Wongo]

Groink..truly does know his stuff...lol

[Keizou]

yeah i agree

i have definitely gone through a rethinking of this 'issue' after reading his post

[nikochanr3]

And you have to keep in mind that there are more women in Japan than men (proven by statistics). So it only makes sense to appeal the female audience more than the male

Exactly! Not only that, several articles I've read indicate that females in Japan have more money to spend than males. That makes females the number-one target for advertisers and the geinokai in general. As the years go by, young women in Japan are less and less likely to get married, thereby they continue to live at home with her parents, and end up with excessive cash they can spend on themselves

The one article that sticks in my mind was about women who are over the age of 30 but still unmarried. There's even a term for them - makeinu or parasite singles. Anyway, most women over the age of 30 tend to live with her parents rather than move to a place by herself. As a result, she can spend a large portion of her earnings on frivolous things, such as expensive purses, eating out, and taking trips to Hawaii. When in Hawaii, that's when they meet up with groink-san. j/k

Addressing the topic... I think some of you don't catch what Keizou meant by female j-music artists. It is really difficult to put this into words, other than to say that when I think of Ueto Aya or Matsu Takako, they're actresses first, and singers secondary. Like Crazy Penguin said, more and more actresses are cutting CDs. BUT, that does not make each and every one of them singers in the sense of Keizou's question - which is why I fully understand his concern. Same thing with modeling - who exactly is a model? I tried explaining this to someone on DramaWiki where he was attempting to tag just about every actress as a model. Sakai Noriko has appeared in many magazines modeling clothing. But despite that, she would not be coined a "model" as a profession. Rather, she modeled clothing as a novelty. And I think the same thing applies to actresses who take up music as a secondary profession. The opposite is also true - even though Matsuura Aya appeared in a few TV dramas, it doesn't make her an actress by profession.

--- groink

Hi groink, you seriously need to learn to be more concise when writing posts. This is a message board for god's sake! ...also, you need to get a life

moron, second post insulting people. if you cant read a paragraph then i suggest classes before posting again.

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

Mmm...I think he gets the point now. No need to keep going off on him.

[MitsukaiKuroi]

I would love to see more JPop and JRock females in roles on doramas.

Even ones that are not your 'average' Jpop idol like Koda Kumi and Crystal Kay! IMO it would bring a little something extra to the dramas! A different vibe.