Thoughts in Light of the Current Situation (As it Relates to Idols)

Hey everyone,

It’s been a while.

The page is still on indefinite hiatus, but as it has with a lot of people, the COVID-19 blues were hitting me extra hard today and I got hit with the need to kinda write out some of my feelings (as it relates to idols). So with that said, this isn’t so much an informational write up as it is a stream of consciousness- feel free to read on or just close out.

For those of you who have been following this page for a while, you probably noticed the amount of content steadily decreasing and then coming to an absolute standstill as it entered hiatus. This was mainly due to our two-man team, Brita and I, moving away from Japan for various reasons.

The two of us were on our way back over there recently, but decided it was for the best to put off our plans for a little bit longer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s given me a lot of extra time to think about my life, past and future. With idol culture being a large part of my life, naturally, idols come up in my thoughts a lot of the time.

I think everyone has a different definition of what an idol is and why they choose that particular occupation for themselves.

And just as every idol has a different reason for being an idol, wota have different reasons for being an wota.

I’d say for myself, my outlook on idols and being an wota has changed with the amount of distance I’ve put between myself and the scene. With the addition of the pandemic, I’ve realized just how important idols are to the following that support them.

As I mentioned before, wota come in many different forms. Whether you’re someone longing for the strength and inspiration to hone your craft on stage, a member of society looking for escapism in the midst of all the stress and expectations of the world, or someone just looking for unconditional acceptance- all wota find refugee in their passion for the idol scene.

Idols are an easily accessible substitute to the various things one may find themselves lacking in life. And to a lot of idols, their whole reason for taking on the position is to help those who need it.

Just as some of you who may be reading this have lost your jobs and are unable to return to work, a lot of idols and members of management are experiencing the same thing thanks to the current state of the pandemic.

Some groups have been able to find alternative ways to generate income, while other groups have ceased all activities and are unlikely to return after all of this has slowed down. It’s a sad thing to see, but for me, it has highlighted how important it is to continue supporting those groups who are doing everything they can to keep their head above the water.

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the things groups are doing,  a friend of mine wrote a great article over on on KawaiiKakkoiiSugoi about it!

A lot of things you can do to show support can be done without having to pay a single thing out of your wallet! Soloists and groups are using various streaming services such as Twitch, LINE LIVE, or TwitCasting. Drop in and show them your support! Take some time to tweet them a loving reply of support and ‘like/RT’ the crap out of their stuff!

If you have the financial means to do so, support your favorite soloist/group by purchasing a net sign, limited time merchandise, or online chat session that they may be offering at this time (This is the first time ever that idols have been this accessible to fans living outside of Japan…take advantage of it if you can!). A friend wrote a great article talking about some of the awesome things idols are doing right now over on KawaiiKakkoiiSugoi

And if you’re someone who doesn’t really follow idols, but somehow stumbled upon this post, show all the support you can to your local artists, musicians, content- creators, medical workers and essential-workers! They are all doing everything they can to help brighten the world amidst this storm.

Here are just a couple of sites/platforms I can think of off the top of my head that idols are using to interact with their fans during this time:

Streaming
– Twitch
– Instagram
– Youtube
– SHOWROOM
– LINE LIVE
– TwitCast

Online Chat Sessions & Signing Sessions
– Talkport [Confirmed- Foreign Credit Cards Accepted]
– Limista [Confirmed- Foreign Credit Cards Accepted]
– Chekicha! [Confirmed- Foreign Credit Cards Accepted]
– ONLYFIVE
– WithLIVE

Feel free to comment with any that aren’t listed here! I’m sure there are more out there than can be accounted for!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

Even though content is not being created on this platform for the time being, we hope that can change in the near future. Until then, stay safe and keep your head up. Better times are surely ahead.