Composer and songwriter, Kenichi Maeyamada, the graduate of Kyoto univ who majored Sociology, argues on recent huge boom of idols, esp AKB48.
Can we say AKB is a 21st century’s Lolicon boom?
(skip) so, recent idol boom and Lolita complex are relating to each other? I’m gonna refer to AKB48 like previous post. When we think of AKB48, yes, first thing pops in our mind is their cute uniform with checked-pattern skirt.
Aitakatta~ Yies!!!
Girls are singing, dancing in the symbol and icon of every high-school, junior-high-school girls, school uniform.
Man, this is none other than girl’s innocence!!
That said, AKB48 is a Lolicon boom in 21th century!!!
but then I found things are not so simple.
Look at PV and CD jacket of “Heavy Roration“.
Girls are in sexy lingerie kissing each other… there’s full smell of sex.
Can we say this innocence!! lol That’s controversial but I would say this is
超 innocent!!
Girls are trying to pretend being adults dressed in sexy lingerie, they are cuddling and kissing each other.
But this whole thing never suggest the existence of MEN.
On the contrary we can smell the homosexuality.
This is what captivate every Lolicon’s hearts…
Then another thing when it comes to AKB,
Love Prohibition Order
This is a typical example of regulation for idols, and commonly said to be Iron Panty to protect girl’s innocence!!
I would say this AKB thing is a revival of Lolicon in three dimension, which once labeled as taboo, all because of this golden name AKB let it divert the direct association.
But let’s look at te reality.
One of the popular figures of AKB, Yuko Oshima is 23 y/o, Mariko Shinoda is now 26 y/o, even Atsuko Maeda is 20 y/o, which made it difficult to put them into the same category with girls we saw in Lolicon boom.
But this dilution of Lolicon flavor is what makes it possible to spread AKB’s popularity into general public.
Even though it’s a nation’s favorite idol, there’s always a danger to be labeled as an oddball if you explicitly speak I like idols~~~~!
But when those a little bit off from typical Lolicon girls’ age are innocently singing, dancing in school-girl’s costume, everything is gonna be alright.
Everything!!!
Of course not all fans of idols are not like this, but I guess there are a chunk of people who were saved by today’s idol boom after strolling around three demension Lolicon world under sense of immorarity.
Thus, Lolicon among Japanese, which are satisfied their crave with idols, Anime or Manga, unique Japanese cultures has a bit different character from other nation’s Lolita complex, though comparison between Japan and the rest is not discussed in this book(he wrote this article as a review of a book about Lolicon culture).