On June 27, 2017, BBC Four aired a documentary directed by Kiyoko Miyake called Tokyo Girls. It follows the career of 19-year-old idol Rio Hiiragi as she tries to climb her way up the idol music industry ladder to become a singer.
Concurrently, the story of idol fans is told through the eyes of transportation worker Mitacchi and young student Naoyamumu. This group is headlined by 43-year-old Rio fan Koji, who gets most of the screen time outside of Rio herself.
On the surface, this might be a balanced look at aspiring idols and the fans who follow them, right? Well, that is half right.
The journeys of the idols involved in this program (Rio, P.IDL, Harajuku Monogatari and Amore Carina) are presented in a fairly neutral manner. It is pretty cut and dry that those who choose to enter this part of the entertainment business face various struggles, including confidence/self-esteem issues, financial problems, familial conflict and acclimatizing to the entire world that encompasses being a Japanese pop idol.
The only issue people may find regarding how the idols are presented would be the lack of deeper content. It may not be enough for viewers who want to know more about what these aspiring idols go through to achieve their goals.
However, what is shown should be sufficient to give a small glimpse of the efforts involved in becoming a successful idol. It isn’t all the sunshine and rainbows some over-fantasize this world. Those who want to prosper as an idol must make some tough personal sacrifices to excel in the industry.
