Net idol

Net idol (ネットアイドル, Netto aidoru) is a Japanese term for a person who achieves celebrity status through the internet. Unlike an Internet celebrity, a net idol is more focused on Japanese pop culture.

History

Net idols emerged as an offshoot of Japanese idols in the late 1990s. The world's first "cyber idol" or "virtual idol" was Kyoko Date in 1997[1][2] She has a fabricated history, statistics, and her own songs. Meanwhile, gravure idols (グラビアアイドル, gurabia aidoru) such as Yoko Matsugane, Rio Natsume and Eiko Koike, net idols themselves, have largely appeared skimpily clad in "cheesecake" photographs.

Net idols by country

International:

  • Flusay Girls was formed in 2010[3] as a global online based group. They are managed by Nanami Uehara. Since 2010 they have released over 12 singles with an ever-changing lineup of members and sub-units.[4]
  • Crystal Rose: Formerly known as KRP28, this group was formed in 2014. Their leader, Katana Niara, writes original music for the group, which contains 20+ members. As of April 2015, they had released six original songs.[5]

United States:

  • SHEawase: Formerly known as Happy!Project, this group was formed in 2007 as a duo with Melissa Shows and Kristy Valdez. It currently has four members: Melissa Shows, Tara Muchmore, Morgan David, and Maxine Ortner. They have released two original singles and are working on an EP.
  • Aidolize!: Formerly known as AiUta, this group first formed in 2011 with three members: Carry, Amanda, and Anthony. They disbanded for two years and reformed under the name Aidolize! The group currently has two members.
  • Miki: This group started out as a net idol back in 2015.

France:

  • CHiC!Pro is a France-based net idol group with three covers.
  • Tasaina Project: This group formed in 2013 with 21 active members ranging from six different generations.

Italy:

  • Honey☆Hime: In January 2015 they debuted as J-pop idol cover group on several anime convention stages. They started with three members (Doki, Kanako, and Kotomì), and then added Hachi to the group. Now the group is still three members (Kotomì and Hachi left, but they added Puchiko in December 2015). In 2016 they planned to start producing original songs.

Philippines:

  • Catherine Guittierez, a.k.a. Alicia Mayer, formerly known as Alicia Bonifacio, is a Filipina celebrity. She first gained fame through her personal website containing her sexy photos. This eventually led to her acting career. She was crowned as Miss Internet Philippines. In 2007 she posed for PETA wearing only a bikini made from lettuce as advocacy of veganism and vegetarianism, as well as against animal cruelty. She was voted as the sexiest vegetarian in the world in a PETA poll in conjunction with the ad; other stars in the campaign were Pamela Anderson and Maggie Q.

United Kingdom:

  • One☆Wish: Formerly known as Crystal Rose UK, the group originally formed in January 2016 and reformed in November 2017. The group are no longer affiliated with Crystal Rose. Cuurent members are; Grace, Haru, Holly, Jenny, Juju, Naomi
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  • In the anime and manga Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei. Kotonon, one of the net idols in the show, in real life is obese and unattractive. Her website of heavily photoshopped images is extremely popular. A real-life net idol is also mentioned on the show but she is given a pseudonym.
  • In the anime and manga Death Note. Kira (killer), a.k.a. Light Yagami is a mass murderer who uses a mystical object, the Death Note, to kill criminals. His killings make an uproar on the Internet. People say that a new god has come to punish criminals. Using this method of fame and publicity, he gains huge public support.
  • The anime and manga Mahou Sensei Negima has Chisame Hasegawa as the net idol among her class. She is an introverted recluse who, behind the scenes, is the top net idol. She features herself in risque outfits or cosplay outfits. Ironically, when she, the hero, and his crew go into "Cosmo Entelechia", the perfect world designed to be a prison, she resists the spell because her life is that of a "Rea-Juu", internet slang for "fully fulfilling life", when she thinks of herself as the complete opposite of a Rea-Juu.
  • In the anime and manga Kaichou wa Maid-sama, a young boy named Aoi Hyoudou cross-dresses and becomes a well-known net idol, much to the dismay of his father.
  • In the game The iDOLM@STER: Dearly Stars, the hikkikomori character Mizutani Eri begins her career as a net idol.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kyoko Date: The world's first virtual pop star". ew.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Vertinsky, Patricia; Hargreaves, Jennifer (28 November 2006). "Physical Culture, Power, and the Body". Routledge. Retrieved 14 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ "flusay girls". YouTube. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "History". フルセイ 少女. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  5. ↑ Niara, Katana. "Kirakira Project".
  • Lukacs, Gabriella (2007-05-31). "The Net Idols: New Forms of Creative Employment and Neoliberal Labor Subjectivities in 1990s Japan". AAS Annual Meeting. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
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