The withdrawal of the popular idol group "Arashi", which will cease its activities at the end of next year, caused a lot of turmoil among fans.
There are also many people who have impressed with the issue of the withdrawal of idols, such as Namie Amuro, who retired last year, who was popular, and Momoe Yamaguchi, who put down her microphone and left at the last concert.
However, due to the recent withdrawal and suspension of activities, it will be announced long before the real retirement, giving the idols themselves and fans a corresponding buffer period, and the appearance of the withdrawal seems to have changed accordingly.
At the last concert, Momoe Yamaguchi sang a song with a white microphone (filmed on October 5, 1980)
"Interested in ordinary life."
At a press conference held on January 27, captain Tomomo Ohno (38) gave such a reason for the indefinite suspension of activities.
The Arashi group was formed in September 1999 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This is a decision he suddenly made when he participated in the NHK Red and White Song Festival in Japan for 10 consecutive years, and it has a hot national popularity.
The group has been debuting for a long time, and all the members of Arashi are already in the late 30s. Professor Saijo Ofegawa University explained in "Idol Theory": "In the past, idols lived around 25 years old, and then they would turn around and become 'adult entertainers.'"
After the birth of the Arashi group's predecessor "SMAP" (disbanded in 2016), its members will also be active in the acting industry as actors and actresses, participating in news hosting and other activities, thus achieving a long-term acting career.
However, as Mr. Ohno hinted at the press conference, even if he is old, as an idol, he will be required to behave in various ways, and his private life will be restricted, and the cost of sacrifice will be very high.
Become one of the social trends
Regarding the news of the suspension of activities by the Arashi Group, Hideki Kiyoshima, a professor at University who is familiar with modern culture, pointed out: This reflects the state of today's society.
He explains: "When the retreat that originally gave people the impression of loneliness was sublimated into a grand event."
In the past, there was no news of retirement or suspension 1-2 years in advance. But recently, when it's time for the popular members of AKB48 to graduate , they run a variety of activities until the last day to bring happiness to the fans.
In the year after announcing her retirement, Namie Amuro, who has held several concert tours to mobilize many fans, is no exception.
And Arashi's approach is to release press conferences and CM as a combination. Although this moment has been postponed for two years in order to avoid the impact on the sponsor company, a commemorative tour will be held for fans in the future.
Kiyoshima said that this has some similarities with the popular "marriage and life" and "final life", "Everything that should become a commodity has been given a certain form of activity, is not it one of the trends of the current society?"
Publication on the occasion of the retirement of famous artists and groups
Ideal example of retreat
So, what kind of retreat is the most ideal?
Of course, there are different understandings of different people, and everyone has their own ideal way.
Mr. Saijo was impressed by Momoe Yamaguchi, who chose to retire at the age of 21 when he was married, saying: "It really made me feel a strong will of a woman. ”
Acting writer Yukio Nishi cited Atsuko Maeda, who graduated from AKB48: "She has obviously been in the C position for 2 or 3 years, but she simply resigned at that time, which is very impactful for me."
Yoshiyoshi Kawakami, a critic who wrote the book "Aesthetics at the Time of Retreat" (Asahi New Book), used "purity" as an excuse to evaluate the singer Chiki Naomi who stopped acting on the occasion of her husband's death. He said: "The Japanese always pursue such an elaborate thing as purity somewhere, no matter what field it is regrettable, and it is the most ideal time to retreat from showing themselves beautifully and withdrawing."
Although fans have different ideas, it is more important for artists to follow their own ideas than to blindly pursue the trend. Make your own choices, which is why fans like them in the first place.