the previous generation of polished, overly controlled idols. The greener the better. “Before us, idols were dolls,” Nitta says. “Today’s idols are human beings. We were somewhere in-between.”
In order to keep the group sown with fresh faces the group’s TV show ran “idols wanted” notices, and new members would audition in what could be described as a beauty pageant of sorts, complete with swimsuit and talent competitions. To make room, Onyanko Club regularly “graduated” members in surprisingly depressing episodes of Yuyake Nyan Nyan—all before a studio audience of grown men.
Graduating members were marched out on stage, given flowers, and told to sing their way through Onyanko Club’s standard showstoppers, a difficult task through the shower of tears and sniffles. Then, to a background of “Auld Lang Syne,” they’d say goodbye to their cohorts. For the Fuji TV producers and managers, the hope was that these girls would then go onto be successful solo artists. A few did stay in show business. Others simply assimilated back into society, working as office ladies, becoming mothers, or even teaching yoga.
Two-and-a-half years after debuting, Onyanko Club called it a day, and the remaining members hung up their sailor suits. The final concert was held in September 1987 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium with present and former members alike. Everyone graduated, and Eri Nitta was the last member to leave the stage. It was a dramatic, fitting end to Onyanko Club after setting a trend for groups hoping to capitalize on the schoolgirl craze. Not surprisingly, the blueprint Onyanko Club drew up would be mastered by the biggest girl group act of the following decade, Morning Musume.
COURTESY UP FRONT AGENCY
In 1997, the pop impresario simply known as Tsunku
COURTESY UP FRONT AGENCY
By 2003 the group had expanded to sixteen members, becoming so successful that
Tsunk
Idol thoughts
So what do the Morning Musume girls think being an idol is all about?
Junjun: “Being an idol is innate. It’s expressing all the various emotions inside yourself with others.”
Sayumi Michishige: “Idols are cute. Whenever and wherever, it doesn’t matter, I think idols have to be cute.”
Linlin: “Idols make people feel good and happy!”
Reina Tanaka: “Idols give dreams and hope to little girls and grown men.”
Aika Mitsui: “A charming person everyone likes!”
Over the years, Morning Musume became less of a band and more of a music institution, or better yet, a factory for churning out female idols. The group took its cues from Onyanko Club: lots of young girls and graduating members. But they pushed it even further with Morning Musume spin-off groups and sub-units like Berryz Kobo (Workshop), and C-ute—which could be cross promoted on its morning TV program, Hello! Morning. All the singers belonged to the corporate label “Hello! Project,” and even after they graduated they still remained signed to the group’s talent agency to be filed away for another group or launched as a solo artist or actress. It was the Onyanko Club model perfected and expanded.
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