Stabbings, stalkings, semen handshakes! Idol fans are the scum of the earth! The idol industry just encourages this mess! How many times have we’ve heard this before? Countless at this point (and yes, I admit that I have added fuel to this fire). Yes, the idol industry is problematic, but doesn’t it feel like this has all been said before? Well apparently not. The BBC recently aired Kyoko Miyake’s documentary “Tokyo Girls”, an expose on the idol industry and its fans.

“Tokyo Girls” mainly follows the story of a 19 year old idol named Rio Hiiragi and her fans, most of whom are socially awkward middle-aged men that have little to no prospects in life, professionally or romantically. Several of the male fans in “Tokyo Girls” admit to being awkward socially. Rio even performs a song called “Akiba Romance” (translated as “Akihabara, Mecca of Otaku”), in which she describes her fans as “commusho”, meaning that they have “communication disabilities.” There are also segments featuring idol groups P.IDL, Harajuku Monogatari, and Amore Carina and the same can be said for their fans as well.

Today, TV Tokyo aired this year’s edition of its annual mid-year music special, TV Tokyo Music Festival. The show included performances by the likes of Hey! Say! JUMP, Keyakizaka46, Ken Hirai, globe, Kanjani8, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, V6, Yuzu, Tomomi Kahara, and Thelma Aoyama. Check out the full show below!

Popular avex trax group Do As Infinity is back with their brand new single “Alive/ Iron Hornet”.

This is the duos first physical single release in roughly a year, the last being their double a-side single “Hallelujah / Elegy”.  For “Alive/ Iron Hornet” the group collaborated with composer Hiroyuki Sawano, who perhaps is best known for his work on various anime and tv drama series including “Kill la Kill”, “Attack on Titan”, “BOSS”, and the “Team Medical Dragon” series.

Hiroyuki can definitely be heard in the main a-side “Alive”, giving the song a very cool “anime-like” vibe. The trippy video takes place in a dystopian world where androids seem to be the ones who dominate.

The cast of the highly anticipated live-action Gintama film all gathered in Tokyo to celebrate the premiere of the movie.

The entire main cast was present, including film co-stars Shun Oguri, Masaki Suda, and Kanna Hashimoto. Fans and reporters were in for a treat as the cast walked the red carpet and posed on stage wearing beautiful yukata, casual unlined summer kimono usually made of cotton or synthetic fabric. The cast was also joined by the films directors Yuichi Fukuda & Jiri Sato, who both donned a yukata as well.

When questioned on any memorable moments that went on during filming, Masaki Suda instantly thought if the main star Shun Oguri. Masaki revealed that Shun was very hospitable during the entire filming, often treating them to food, and was the mastermind behind a Gintama themed song sung by the cast which eventually ended up being used for the opening of the film.

Masaki was also full of praise for his co-star Kanna Hashimoto. Kanna plays the role of Kagura, which required her to do things like pick her nose and vomit. In most cases, it’s unimaginable to see an idol behave like that, but Kanna happily did what was required of her even if at times she was a bit embarrassed.

Nearing the conclusion of Pride Month 2017, we gathered a collection of 20 celebrities who have supported or taken action to raise awareness for LGBTQ people and their social rights.

Japan isn’t a homophobic puritan society by any means, but they still have a long way to go in terms of visibility and equal rights for LGBTQ people. The truth is it’s hard to find direct public support of LGBTQ people from Japanese celebrities, but we can take a look through their work history and subtle choices to make educated assumptions from their associations and consider them endorsements.

From Koda Kumi, Sho Sakurai to the Kano Sisters, these stars have played a part in pushing forward acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and visibility within Japan.

Dance & vocal group THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE have announced more details for their upcoming third, including unveiling the “Dirty Disco” PV.

Just after 3 months from the release of their second single, their upcoming single’s title track “Dirty Disco” is an upbeat number with “funky beat”, citing a disco influence. The perfect song for this summer, its catchy sound makes you want to listen again and again.

Check it out below!

Female Dance & Vocal Group TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE have uploaded the video for their new single “water lily ~Suiren~” to Japan-exclusive streaming service GYAO!

The song “water lily” itself is a pop tune with influences of EDM and tropical house. Using projection mapping, this latest effort shows the girls at their most mature and elegant beauty yet, further pushing themselves away from the constraints of the “idol” image they have previously denounced.

It has been revealed that Tsuyoshi Domoto of Johnny & Associates duo KinKi Kids has been hospitalized for one week due to sudden deafness, Oricon news reports.

Otherwise known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), it’s an unexplained rapid loss of hearing that usually only occurs in one ear. Depending on the patient, the “deafness” either hits them all at once or over a period of several days.

The news of Tsuyoshi’s sudden change in health status was shared by fellow Kinki Kids member Koichi Domoto during TV Tokyo’s “Ongakusai 2017” broadcast on June 28.

Koichi appeared on his own at the beginning of the program to make the announcement: “While this program is very exciting, as of right now, I’m sorry to say the other person is not here.“