Last year, we saw hordes of Korean girl groups heading to Japan. Under the influences of the Hallyu Wave, the South Korean cultural expansion, these groups achieved great success most of the times. Some of them, like KARA or SNSD (Shoujo Jidai), even entered the competition against Japan's recent most famous group, AKB48. How were they able to do that in such small time?
First of all, as previously stated, the effects of the spreading interest for Korean culture. The massive Korean idol industry and famous TV dramas were certainly decisive in the attraction of worldwide fans, especially in Japan, which is geographically very close and therefore easily influenced by the Wave.
KARA in Japan - instant success with the famous "Butt Move" from the debut song "Mister"
Add an extreme care for beauty, training and live performances and you have a killer formula against unprepared artists in any country. Remember that Korean idols are usually trained for years inside their agency before even debuting in order to make them fully prepared for the music industry.
On the other hand, you have the common Japanese idol girl groups, which are basically focused on variety shows and that eventually get better by their career experience. When comparing the beginning of these groups to their Korean counterparts, it's scaring obvious to know which one is going to be praised by fans and critics, especially when AKB48 has "millions" of members and you really can't expect every single one of them to be good at singing, dancing, acting, modeling...
AKB48 - Damn, do they expect us to know them all?! @-@
"So Pedro, are you saying that Japan will be dominated by Korean groups now?" Definitely not. Japan's music industry will never fall to that, simply because they aren't idol-based like South Korea these days. And you don't need to go far to see that. Without even considering J-Rock, there's such a diversity in Japanese music that it's hard to know it all. Classical-like singers make huge success, Enka masters are still on the top and the idols, such as Hello!Project groups or Johnny's Arashi, take the number 1 spot simply for appealing to the masses of young Japanese fan girls/boys.
With that in mind, I just think that the idol section of J-Pop is threatened. For 2010 we had mainly Korean girl groups entering the market, but this year it's going to be different. SHINee announced that they are going to debut in Japan in March. Now tell me, is there anyone with a minimal critical mind thinking that people like NYC or KAT-TUN are talent-wise better than the SHINee members? If you do, I will personally send you to a doctor, because you need new ears and eyes. I know, these Japanese boy bands won't decline fast, but if they don't do anything about it, they will be eventually overshadowed by the awesome synchronization, vocals and training of Hallyu artists.
SHINee's first concert in Japan - and they haven't even debuted there yet.
Before anyone goes to the comments section saying that I'm Korean-biased and that I hate Japanese artists, let me say something. You see, I knew J-Pop years before K-pop. I love Arashi, Morning Musume and older AKB48 songs. I even have Arashi's Crazy Moon single! My point here is that their talents is somewhat underdeveloped simply for the fact that they aren't trained like SHINee or KARA members. Therefore, why would Japanese people keep praising something when it's right there in their faces that these "new" groups are currently better?
Also, I reckon that this is the perfect experience for Japan to learn something good. It will be great competition to their industry, and hopefully that will force them to change this disappointing image that idols are getting there with the AKB48 girls appealing only to sexual insinuations in their music videos instead of impressing listeners for the musical quality that could exist. And yes, Korean idols also appeal to sexualized themes sometimes, but at least they prove their talents at the same time with great vocals.
But of course, haters gonna hate, and that why some stubborn Japanese people keep messing around with Korean artists' images in order to try to prevent them from successfully entering the market. Rumors about idols using their good looks to get good contracts spreaded quickly through the internet.
A manga page accusing Korean girl groups of using their bodies to be successful
Instead of creating a conflict between the music industries, people should support their country's artists on their expansion. Cultural exchange is good for both sides as it improves the qualities of a society, increasing their complexity. In times of economic crisis, the unison of these two huge music cultures is not only a way to get money, but also to open the minds of the population to a more globalized thinking.
It's only a matter of time before Japanese groups also head to South Korea and this hate nowadays will only make things more difficult, since Koreans will also like to have their "revenge" and will eventually criticize the J-Pop essence. Listening to good music is never enough, so why try to repel it only because it's not of your nationality? As always, respect is one of the most important keys to a healthy cultural process and now is the right moment to improve that quality.
AKB48 with KARA - No need to bash, your idols are friends :)
