From a B-grade idol to a complete turnaround: The “historic turnaround” made by manager Michi Iijima on the eve of SMAP’s breakup.
Akio Nakamori, Johnny's's Theory of Desire Chapter 2: It All Began with the "Breakup of SMAP" 4
In the previous article, “[Also with Johnny’s’s Disqualified Persons] The Identity of What “Drove and Abandoned” SMAP Immediately After Their Debut,” we analyzed the predicament that surrounded SMAP as they made their debut.
Commonalities” between Saori Minami and SMAP
The history of idols is interesting.
In 1971, Saori Minami, a girl who came to Tokyo from the southern island of Okinawa, opened the door to the history of idols in Japan with her debut “17 Sai.
The idol boom stalled at the end of the 1970s, but in the spring of 1980, Seiko Matsuda suddenly appeared from Fukuoka, Kyushu, triggering an idol boom in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, Namie Amuro from Okinawa shined as the star of the era, and SPEED followed her as if to break through the “idol winter era. As I said, girls from the south revitalized the world of idols.
It’s amazing! I wonder if there is a “great will” that governs the idol genre, and if it is not due to that power.
The history of Johnny’s is similar.
A genius producer named Johnny Kitagawa and his sister, Mary Kitagawa’s shrewd management team built up a huge empire of Johnny’s. At the end of the Showa Era, the group Hikari Genjiji was established. At the end of the Showa period, the company reached its zenith with Hikaru Genji and Shonen-tai.
At that time, SMAP was a failed idol. They sang badly and could not dance. They were just plain poofy. Their CDs did not sell well, they had no more hits, they had no more singing shows, and they were abandoned by the fading generation. Michi Iijima, a clerical worker, stepped forward to help them out of the siege. He had no experience in the entertainment business. He was a complete novice.
Everything about him was the opposite of the “Johnny’s aesthetic. Everyone thought that there was no way he could make it work. They would be a B-grade idol group that would disappear sooner or later. However, …… has a lot of information about idols.
The history of idols is interesting. When the popular ones at the top of their game disappear, the next ones to emerge are those with the opposite attributes.
