Fantasy vs. Reality

Boy do I feel out of the loop, I haven't posted anything here in a week!  Maybe it was a bit of writer's block.  But to tell you the truth, my internet time has been, shall we say, monopolized lately? 

The weekend began with the "earth-shattering" news of the resurfacing of Kago Ai!  Now to a lot of people, including myself, Kago is one of, if not THE biggest idol ever.  I have posted a few times how she singlehandedly drew me into the J-pop world after stumbling through You Tube..."Who is the adorable girl in this strange (Robokiss) video?"

My first reaction to the Kago news was relief that she is doing okay.  But I've had a thirst for more information.  What has she been up to for the past two years?  Well, we have six interviews to get through, so I'm sure many revelations will come soon enough...

Tuesday was going to be a fun day, despite the fact I had a dentist appointment sandwiched in the middle.  My plan was to head to San Francisco's Japantown, find all sorts of cool J-pop merchandise, maybe even find a Japanese newspaper with the Kago story in it, and...and...

Japantown is quite lame!  It's pretty much ALL restaurants.  The video and bookstores sell virtually Anime-only.  Damn, I couldn't even find any C.C. Lemon!!!  You would barely know that J-pop existed, save for the $70 copy of Berryz Koubou's "Switch On" DVD.  I should have been "clued in" when I found plenty of parking!  Japantown...whatever.

Disappointing Japantown

I got home that afternoon...No new news on Kago's interview, but I did find something on International Wota that caught my interest.  One of my favorite things about IW are the recommendations I get of things that I may never have otherwise noticed.

Maize singlehandedly helped me discover "Ribbon no Kishi", which I thought was a wonderful play.  I hope "Cinderella" is as good.

MorningBerryz turned me onto the latest Ayaya DVD, AND the adorable girl in the cosplay pictures for IW's birthday!

And he may not realize it, but H!P Metalhead is completely responsible for me now being a fan of Perfume!  (It's a long story!)

So now I have another contributor to thank for assisting me in spending far too much time at my PC, and that person is...

Old Fart Who Loves Japanese Culture!!!

Yes, thanks to Kevin, I am totally engrossed in the "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" series!  Oh what a great diversion from the harsh realities of Kago's life!  First and foremost, Sawai Miyuu was (and still is) absolutely adorable as Sailor Moon/Usagi-chan.  She was the perfect combination of dorky and cute.  And come to think of it, now it all makes sense why Kusumi Koharu was deemed the "Miracle Girl" by Tsunku when she debuted for Morning Musume (not long after this show originally aired).  Koha is the spitting image of Usagi-chan!  And she has a similar personality to boot! 

Koha-chan

Sawai Miyuu

The second thing I love so much is the song "Romance" by Aino Minako (Sailor Venus).  I have been singing it all week...

Now I do realize that this show is kind of childish.  For some reason it reminds me of some of the "live action" stuff Sid & Marty Krofft used to produce (anyone remember H.R. PufnStuf? The Bugaloos??)  Those were shows I loved when I was little.  It goes without saying the actresses in PGSM are adorable!  And like every Japanese Dorama I have watched, it has a great storyline.  What I love about these series is that they all have a "starting point" and an "ending point".  Most American series just go on indefinitely.  By the time the "ending" comes, most people have completely lost interest!

I began watching the series on Tuesday, as of Friday morning I am up to episode 40...Jeez I need to get a life!!!  BTW, don't tell me how it ends!

So now it is Friday and I haven't heard much about the Kago interview since the second installment on Monday.  I wonder why that is?  What I have read are the many opinions about Kago which I find quite interesting...

I have always felt that I have done a good job as seeing idols as "human beings with a career in show business".  They have lives "off-camera" that are probably much different to the persona we see on screen.  Kago has grown up as an idol and has experienced her formative years quite differently from what any of us can imagine.  When I read people saying they are "disappointed" in the life choices she has made for herself it....well...pisses me off!

Who are we, her fans, to cast aspersions on her personal life choices?  Do we really know Kago Ai, the person?  Isn't she allowed to have the same life experiences and doesn't she get to make some of the same mistakes growing up many of us did?  How dare anyone scorn her for smoking or dating an older man?  Has anyone been to Japan lately?  The place is a virtual "chimney" of cigarette smoke.  And so what if she might've had an abortion as a teen?  How many millions of teens get pregnant every year?  Let's all take a look in the mirror, I'll start...

CK...began smoking at 16 years old!

CK...used illicit drugs as a teenager!

CK...became sexually active in High School, and even got his girlfriend pregnant!

CK...dated a 35 year old woman at the age of 21! (Yeah, that was pretty cool!)

I doubt I am the only person around the J-pop posting universe with this kind of resume.  When I read the first translations of the early interviews I was happy, and sad at the same time.  I was sad to hear about the despair and depression she went through enough to slit her wrists.  But I was also happy to hear that she made it through, and seems a lot stronger because of the experience.  What I was most happy about was the "in your face" realization that she is just like the rest of us, with hopes, dreams, triumphs, failures, happiness, sadness...yes, a human being!  Some people hypothesize that she is doing this for the money.  I'm sure that fits into part of the equation, but so what if it does?  Can you blame her for wanting to return to show business?  It is something that she knows, and obviously loves to do.  And it isn't all for the money.  No one looks too cool going on TV and admitting that they were so depressed and humiliated that they tried to end their own life.  But it all makes me wonder what's really going on in the heads of all of these idols we scrutinize so closely.

So Kago Ai is still great as far as I'm concerned!  I like her new, more mature look.  I look forward to Buscuit Club, and anything else Kago-san chooses to do for us, the fans!

I love this picture

If you are going to support your idol, support him/her unconditionally!!!

So there's a boatload of reality for ya.  Now back to my new "fantasy" love, Sawai Miyuu and the other PGSM "cutie-girls"!

CK in California