Beyond the Male Idol Factory
Subtitle: The Construction of Gender and National Ideologies in Japan Through Johnny's Jimusho
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2024
Language: eng
Number of pages: 176
ISBN-13: 9781350359789
Description: A star-making factory without rival, the Japanese talent agency Johnny's Jimusho has brought fame to several generations of male stars - singers, actors and performers. <i>Beyond the Male Idol Factory</i> asks what the phenomenon of "Johnny's Idols" reveals about discourses of masculinity and national identity in contemporary Japan.   Examining the pervasive presence of these stars across a wide range of Japanese media, the book explores how Johnny's Idols act as role models of ideal masculinity and good citizenship as well as entertainers. Taking a wide-ranging cultural studies approach, the book assesses the social, economic and demographic contexts of these familiar stars in post-industrial and post-Bubble Japanese society.