Kago goes Semi-Nude

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='Lovely' post='57704' date='Jan 26 2009, 09:31 AM']I prefer the crudeness of Kago's pornographic shots over the pseudo-sense of eroticism elicited by Kusumi's shot. Both are meant to be sexual. At least Kago's are (more) honest about their intentions.



I think Kago's are meant to tell a story; they're meant to be seen as film shots, rather than standalone pin-ups. The viewer's instinct is to let their imagination run and create a scene around each photograph. That Kago isn't looking directly at the camera incorporates her into the scene more fully and pulls the viewer in. The scene is erotic because it's crude and real.



In Koharu's photo, the message is much simpler: "Look at me! I'm hot. I'm a sex symbol." She stares directly at the camera (well, actually, she's doing "fashion model eyes" -- staring into a point in space just above-and-behind the camera -- which makes the whole thing more hilarious), spreads her legs, and strikes a glamour pose in a trashy outfit. There's a concerted effort going on to make her look sexy, rather than be sexy, and I find that way more unattractive.



To possibly confuse things with an analogy, to me, it's like the difference between drawing a scene "as it is seen", and communicating it using stick figures and other symbols which are popularly understood to be representative of a concept. The latter is an advertisement; the former falls closer to the category of art and offers more richness in meaning.[/quote]

I really can't agree with these feelings at all, and I'll try to work out why.



I guess for one, the honesty of the intention usually makes it feel much more trashy, awkward and uncomfortable to look at for me. The staging or farce surrounding something like Koharu's shoot at least gives you some re-assurance that this wouldn't have happened were it not for the whole "I work for an idol company and they told me to do this," which is what I'd rather see coming from a cute young girl than "Take me now! I'm here waiting for you!"



Sometimes, though, I wonder exactly how much real sexuality is intended by something like Koharu's shoot. I don't know how they can honestly think that dressing a girl up in that kind of outfit and having those kinds of shots could come anywhere close to what I feel "erotic" or "sexual" means. Its almost like one of those things when girls go to one of those "Glamour Shots" places in America and get all dressed up and made up to be like some celebrity or something just to take a few pictures, but they're not really going for the sexual aspect of it, just the glitz/glamour part. That's how I feel about something like Koharu's shoot, even if the clothes can easily lead the mind towards the other direction and all, it seems like innocent enough picture to me by most accounts, or, at least, it could be a lot worse and often is within the idol industry.



Maybe I'm reading way too much into this, but in a way, maybe the companies behind both of these books have very different audiences in mind. I think one of the big things in marketing the younger kids in H!P or in the entire idol industry is that you're marketing the fantasy to most of the male fans. In the opposite direction, especially since Kago isn't even H!P anymore, I think her book is marketed more towards the kind of people who would prefer a more real or obtainable girl or situation to look at. I don't honestly think, as much as I hate them, that more than 25-30% of the wota are people who would actually sexually abuse children, they just feed off of the aspects that the girls are marketed as the perfect, innocent, playful young girls that any young guy in his right mind would probably enjoy being around. On the other hand, maybe its a more old, salaryman type who would go for Kago's type of push, where she's playing the "I'm not so innocent anymore, and I've come of age!" type thing. This may be all that this boils down to, on a very general level, but I suppose we'll never know.



That's an interesting and accurate analogy about something being representative of an idea as opposed to actually depicting it, though it doesn't make me agree with your opinion past that, about Kago's being more preferable once that has been established.



Both shoots are awkward in their own way, but to me, Koharu's is on a much more tame or subtle level. Besides all this, I think Koharu is ten times the naturally more pretty girl than Kago ever was, so it might influence this a little.



I've lost my train of thought from here, but I hope that made sense.



EDIT: I wrote this before even seeing those last 4 pictures. The first one with the text on it is just downright raunchy. It may as well be in a smut magazine or something. There is nothing implied about that picture, its just right there in the open, and extremely unattractive. I seriously don't think I've ever seen as raunchy of a shot in ANY idol PB, ever, even of the ones outside of H!P.

[fpd]

[quote name='Pi Miki' post='57701' date='Jan 26 2009, 08:06 AM']None of those links work, even if I copy and paste them...[/quote]

Are you right clicking and "Copy Link Location"ing?

[kurosawa87]

I feel simply that she following a plan of not using her idol past to get to where she wants to be at. She's making choices that pretty much set her future and pretty much if it doesn't work then we might not see her again

[jochin]

[quote name='Ang' post='57685' date='Jan 26 2009, 06:03 PM']http://www.picamatic.com/show/2009/01/26/0...07_bigthumb.jpg[/quote]



HAHA I die. I didn't expect to see Kago's hi-i'm-being-penetrated face.



Anyone know when her new music is coming out, btw?

[ozu]

I've got to agree with the AEUG. That Koharu shoot doesn't bother me at all, but those Kago pics... <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/down.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':down:' />



I'm not a prude - and I'm not judging her - I just don't like to see Aibon going down that path.



Whatever.





Oh yeah, this:



[quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='57712' date='Jan 26 2009, 10:34 AM']I don't honestly think, as much as I hate them, that more than 25-30% of the wota are people who would actually sexually abuse children[/quote]



<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/rofl.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



Good to see you've lightened up on the wota a bit. Now they're only 30% child molesters!



<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ek3run.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />

[Farrah]

I love how the people who shot the PB are saying the goal of the photos was to depict "inner turmoil and pain". Right. THEY WEREN'T SEXUAL IN THE LEAST.



I don't know the original source, but if you scroll down to the second quote where they translated this post. . . if that stuff is true, I'm finding it harder and harder to take Aibon seriously. I know she had a hard time, and that is terrible, but she is airing her dirty laundry in public a bit heavily.

[stoveroad]

Ugh. Some of the photos have all of the sex appeal of a gynecological exam. They have all the symptoms of a photobook just with a weird and unappealing context.



But I can't be surprised at this. Just more of the same cynical press mongering we can expect from Ai Kago these days.

[Kago]

Things I could have lived without knowing: Kago's menstrual cycle.

Some of the photos have all of the sex appeal of a gynecological exam.

I agree with this completely. These aren't sexy.. they're just poorly done and uncomfortable.

[eri]

I prefer the crudeness of Kago's pornographic shots over the pseudo-sense of eroticism elicited by Kusumi's shot. Both are meant to be sexual. At least Kago's are (more) honest about their intentions.



I think Kago's are meant to tell a story; they're meant to be seen as film shots, rather than standalone pin-ups...



In Koharu's photo, the message is much simpler: "Look at me! I'm hot. I'm a sex symbol." She stares directly at the camera (well, actually, she's doing "fashion model eyes" -- staring into a point in space just above-and-behind the camera -- which makes the whole thing more hilarious), spreads her legs, and strikes a glamour pose in a trashy outfit.

...The latter is an advertisement; the former falls closer to the category of art and offers more richness in meaning.

...the honesty of the intention usually makes it feel much more trashy, awkward and uncomfortable to look at for me. The staging or farce surrounding something like Koharu's shoot at least gives you some re-assurance that this wouldn't have happened were it not for the whole "I work for an idol company and they told me to do this," which is what I'd rather see coming from a cute young girl than "Take me now! I'm here waiting for you!"

Well I agree and disagree with you both.



Koharu's staged idol sexiness is absurd and offensive in its own way. But I agree with AEUG that the crayola-brightness of it all seems to reiterate its fantasy-like absurdity. In a strange way, it tricks you into feeling that it is safer to consume. Yet this is precisely why it is so disturbing in its own right. Think about the deliberate slutting-up of little kids in American beauty pageants: it isn't that the performance, the staged quality, ensures its safety; rather, the fact that it is all accepted under the guise of performance strikes me as utterly creepy.



So in a sense, Kago's magazine spread (hehe) is more direct about what it is selling, with no smoke or mirrors. However, I would NEVER deign to call this trash art. There is a story behind Kago's PB, but this does not rescue the series or elevate it as some pseudo-filmic tale of sorrow and pain. If you read the "story," you'll notice that it just emphasizes her supposed precocious sexuality and desperation. Just to quote a bit from the H!O translation:

- Has a childlike face, but inside she's mature.

- Has a father complex.

...

- When she was about three, her mother's male fried joked, "Ai-chan, show me your boobs", and she became scared of people.

- She lived in a hotel for half a year after coming to Tokyo. She couldn't find a school, so she didn't go to school for half a year either. She also missed a lot in her second year of middle school. For her third year, a tutor would visit her every morning from 10:00 to 1:30.

- Tsuji and Kago were basically allowed to do what they wanted.

...

- She started liking boys around 16 or 17. She liked boys about three years older than her. But she didn't go out with them.

- When talking with the other members about love, she didn't tell them about it.

...

- With no money, she was in a bad situation. The company had no idea she was having money troubles. In December she went to Tokyo and talked to the boss about everything, and he let her come back to do odd jobs. On that day, she went to the toilet and had her period. It had been 11 months, so she cried in relief.

...

- After the shock of being fired, she felt relieved. She's sorry to all her fans, but she's happy now.

...

- Going to LA changed her way of thinking. She became an individualist. She stopped worrying about how people saw her. She realised that self is something that only you think of.

- (laughing) It's been a pretty heavy life.

- In the future, she wants to be someone who can say, "I can do this."

- She wants to be coloured by people from many different countries. Ni hao!

What you are left with is "She was sexually precocious! Tragic mistake and financial disaster! Yet, she broke free as an individual and now can..." and then you see orgasm-face accompanying photos.



So my conclusion? Both suck in their own creepy ways. Yet, imo, the most disturbing PBs is still Konno Asami's. It blended the predatory (it its voyeuristic angles and shots) and innocent (cheery smiles on the beach, but the camera is looking only at your tits).

[Pi Mako]

[quote name='fpd' post='57720' date='Jan 26 2009, 11:40 AM'][quote name='Pi Miki' post='57701' date='Jan 26 2009, 08:06 AM']None of those links work, even if I copy and paste them...[/quote]

Are you right clicking and "Copy Link Location"ing?

[/quote]



Thank you. <3 That worked.



As for these photos... I actually laughed out loud because of how ridiculous they look. She looks like she's dying in every shot. That first one was the worst, though, sheesh. What trashy pictures.

[tsukinobyouin]

Things I could have lived without knowing: Kago's menstrual cycle.

Some of the photos have all of the sex appeal of a gynecological exam.

I agree with this completely. These aren't sexy.. they're just poorly done and uncomfortable.

My thoughts exactly as well. In looking back at her blog, I found a link to her official site. It's really too bad she didn't put out a photobook with that kind of photo. She looks great in just about every shot used in that layout.

[JPope]

[quote name='jochin' post='57726' date='Jan 26 2009, 12:57 PM']HAHA I die. I didn't expect to see Kago's hi-i'm-being-penetrated face.[/quote]



Goddamn, that's funny!



Interesting argument vis a vis the Koharu pic and the Kago shots. I'd have to agree that the Koharu shot is more offensive simply because she's not an adult, and Kago is. Case closed in my book. Yeah, the Kago set is creepy as hell, but I think that's mostly because we all remember her as young Kago-chan of Morning Musume. She's not that girl anymore -- she's gonna be 21 in a couple of weeks. Koharu, OTOH, is a 16 year old girl, and that spread-legged photo is pushing her a sex object for grown men.

[Melon]

Okay, the new pictures are hilarious. She's faking it. If it was a straight up porno, she'd be the type to moan ever so loudly and exaggerated.



And on the other hand, I am sad. She's misguided and the people leading her aren't looking out for her best interests. She needs to learn what being a strong, mature female is. It's not losing your dignity and posing semi-nude complete with "orgasm" photos. It may buy publicity in the short run, but what have you got left after that? She needs to stop looking for the approval of others.



It seemed like she was on the right track for awhile, with the film and DVDs, but this is a giant step back. I want to see her succeed, but if this is the route that she must take to gain back the spotlight, well, she's better off saving her dignity and living quietly.

[kuze]

[quote name='Ang' post='57685' date='Jan 26 2009, 01:03 AM']http://www.picamatic.com/show/2009/01/26/0...07_bigthumb.jpg

http://www.picamatic.com/show/2009/01/26/0...08_bigthumb.jpg

http://www.picamatic.com/show/2009/01/26/0...11_bigthumb.jpg

http://www.picamatic.com/show/2009/01/23/1...04_bigthumb.jpg[/quote]

I like this.. all of it. Due to my new found love for her new image after watching this. If no one is hitting that atm, thats a fkn shame.

[Madara]

All right. I've only seen the pictures included in the very first post on this thread and none of the others people linked to. I read the translation on Hello Online that someone linked to. The one about House Arrest.



I'm sad. I'm depressed. I'm angry.



Aibon was one of the greatest entertainers H!P ever had. She was a very talented, but very vulnerable girl. Not everyone can be as punctual and focused as Rika or as strong and dedicated as Yossi or as obedient and compliant as Ai-chan and Risa. Aibon needed more sensitive handling. Instead the UFA/H!P management treated her horribly. In the U.S. there'd be criminal charges against them for this kind of behavior, let alone lawsuits. I mean, HOUSE ARREST?!!! For what?!!!! Holding a fucking cigarette?!!! What universe do you live in that makes you think she deserves that? Communist China? Nazi Germany? Afghanistan under Taliban rule?



She needed support and encouragement and she didn't get it. You don't treat someone as vulnerable as her this way, esp. in Japan, and not expect them to end up like this.



Maybe I'm overreacting, maybe these pictures won't be that big a deal in the overall scheme of her career. Maybe the Kung Fu Chef movie will do something for her. But, for me personally, something's been shattered. I don't think she can ever go back to being the entertainer she was. And I'll miss that. But I'll always blame the suits, not her. Sure you can tell me over and over about how it was her personal responsibility and she should be held accountable, etc., etc., and on some level, maybe you're right, but I still say you're probably asking too much of her under these circumstances. And these are extraordinary circumstances. How would any of you have fared?



In any event, the bottom line in any entertainment organization is you don't take your best performer and throw them under the bus. Especially when your other best performer (Nono) was so dependent on her. You bend the rules a little. You cut them slack. You give them some special handling. But these assholes botched it. They're just like the military rulers of Japan during the war who almost ran the country into complete and total destruction, all to save face and avoid surrender.



For me, and I think I've said this here before, the beginning of the end of Hello! Project was the suspension of Aibon. And they've been in a steep decline ever since.

[freezingkiss]

Sorry to be completely ignorant, but what Koharu shoot are people referring to? Ugh, that girl could never be sexy to me.

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='kuze' post='57766' date='Jan 26 2009, 11:42 PM']If no one is hitting that atm, thats a fkn shame.[/quote]

Are you a child? Or just from the Nozomi board?

[Special Needs Tricycle]

[quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='57773' date='Jan 27 2009, 12:30 AM'][quote name='kuze' post='57766' date='Jan 26 2009, 11:42 PM']If no one is hitting that atm, thats a fkn shame.[/quote]

Are you a child? Or just from the Nozomi board?

[/quote]

They're basically the same thing.



Also this topic is complete trash that has degenerated into the usual idol/sex object debate. There is no dignity in being an idol. It just depends on how well you try to hide it.

[ozu]

There is no dignity in being an OL, either. And what exactly are they trying to hide, their shame?



I really don't think it's as dire as all that.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

[quote name='ozu' post='57778' date='Jan 27 2009, 01:14 AM']There is no dignity in being an OL, either.[/quote]

An office lady? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hatthe.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



[quote name='ozu' post='57778' date='Jan 27 2009, 01:14 AM']And what exactly are they trying to hide, their shame?[/quote]

The fact that they have no dignity. Really, they all make a living out of pandering to lonely men. None of them are ultra-talented singer-songwriters or anything that would get them to this point without the idol world. Kago opening her mouth for a few photoshoots doesn't change anything at all. We can start talking about how she's fallen for grace (or whatever you guys are saying. It's like chickens with their head cut off.) once she's doing trashy low-budget AVs.

[ozu]

If they weren't idols they'd be working some other crappy job.



And if being an idol is so horrible, why are we patronizing the idol industry, instead of actively trying to shut it down?



(I'm not trying to be combative here, just trying to see where you're coming from.)

[peachgirldb]

[quote name='ozu' post='57780' date='Jan 27 2009, 01:43 AM']And if being an idol is so horrible, why are we patronizing the idol industry, instead of actively trying to shut it down?[/quote]

I don't think he's saying it's that horrible, I think you made that leap.



At any rate, I think we've all done more than enough of psychoanalyzing Kago for now at least, and debates about the sexualization of idols never end well really, so <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/lock.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />.