Johnny’s Entertainment Threatened by DBSK
We knew this.
But now we know for a fact that Music Station isn’t allowing DBSK on as guests. Music Station wasn’t explicitly stated by the source, S-Diary (a blog by a Japanese staff member of DBSK), but it’s been inferred by the things he’s written about the issue of DBSK not being allowed on certain shows.
This just reflects why my Japanese friends hate the Japanese music industry. Johnny’s controls way too much, they know that pre-teen and young teen girls have little to no common sense, bad taste in music (let’s be honest with ourselves guys, you remember the days -_- ) and a strange obsession with malnourished pretty boys. Johnny’s, who only lets boys into his entertainment company for that very reason, controls the boyband music scene and casts a lot of their boys in dramas (like the miscast Maou). I generally see Johnny as this guy that grossly overestimates his importance and can not deal with competition, especially legitimate competition like DBSK.
I know that because DBSK is Korean and Johnny’s is a Japanese company people are going to be focusing on the ethnicity issue. But It’s not because DBSK is Korean, it’s because they are blending in well with Japanese culture and because of their success people will begin to see how much better they are than Johnny’s boys. I mean, lets be honest, watching Shounen Club is pretty painful, the outfits, the dancing… But DBSK, even though they do some cringe-worthy things, bring a different, fresher aspect to boybands in Japan. (They don’t do much for boybands in America, except make boybands in America look better…)
But what is messed up about the situation, and does have to do with ethnicity, is DBSK’s disks still being filed under “foreign artist” in the music stores. Absurd, because the boys are under a Japanese label, sing in Japanese, promote themselves in Japanese and have tried so hard, away from home to be seen as Japanese artists (kind of like how well BoA blends in).
UGH, this makes me upset because this is such blatant prejudice. What do you guys think about this?
July 29, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Definitely agree with you.
Though I have to admit, I recently just started to like and know some Johnny boy groups such as NewS and KAT-TUN, they do not compare at all with DBSK. I mean, sure they can do back flips and what not, but singing and dancing wise…they’re alright. It’s because they are cute and their songs are catchy.
But DBSK isn’t the ordinary boy band! That’s what makes them so different. Their style is their own, and each of them has amazing vocals. Johnnys should feel threatened! DBSK is showing real talent. And to be prejudice against them isn’t right. They are working terribly hard to become not Hallyu stars but Japanese artists. And I believe they are successful in doing so.
Random, but no wonder I never see any Johnny groups when DBSK appears on music shows.
And you know what else? Johnnys boy bands are set up much differently than Korean bands as well. In Johnnys, not all of them are close. Some aren’t even close yet. They just get together to sing and work but go off and do their own thing later (like acting in dramas). It makes it more irritating for me if they don’t even want to get to know each other.
July 29, 2008 at 4:54 pm
“They don’t do much for boybands in America, except make boybands in America look better…”
Unfortunately this is sooo true.
The prejudice is ridiculous. I’ve heard the Japanese are pretty snooty about some stuff though, because of certain movements made post world war, where the people were convinced they are different and better than every other human being. I’m not saying they all beleive this, but there is a noticeable snide tinge I think, or maybe just an excess in National Pride(??), in a lot of Japanese related things.
Johnny’s is probably really scrambling right now because of DBSK’s new milestone of being the first (correct me if I’m wrong) “foreign” band to top Oricon thrice.
Aha. I just like the word thrice.
July 29, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I was really annoyed to hear about this. Particularly the issue about them being labeled as foreign artists. I mean, WTF? They have put so much effort into their Japanese everything, and they aren’t even accepted. It’s just wrong.
And the JE thing… ugh. I have to admit that they do sell rather well, but for once I’d like to see some new life. Some JE dramas are so focused around their Johnny’s boy that the rest of the cast is just lackluster in comparison. The music is often catchy, but it’s never the kind of thing I want to listen to more than two or three times. I don’t know. I just think that JE needs the competition. Good business owner usually fess up to the fact that their rivals make them better. How else can you grow?
July 29, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Japan…..foreigners…..prejudice?
go figure……(and i don’t mean to generalize but it is a widespread thing…)
July 29, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I’m really disappointed with Johnny’s. Since JE created almost all the “oh-so-great-boy-bands” in Japan, they probably have a ton of connection with the entertainment companies, making those companies or shall I say Music Station, obey JE orders. I’ve realized that ALMOST every drama, there’s at least a Johnny’s boy. And I agree with what those other people said. You hardly see JE boys when DBSG is there and verse visa.
But at the end, we can all see that DBSG has better vocals & dance skills.
I don’t think DBSG not appearing on Music Station is affecting their music sales. They’re doing pretty well without Music Station.
When I read about the part where they place them as “foreigners”… that bothers me a lot. They’ve worked so hard and they are still as “foreigners” not placed under J-pop. Yes, they are foreigners BUT they can speak and understand Japanese pretty well. It makes no sense to me.
It’s only happening to the boy-bands. Because BoA is a female and JE only has guys in their company, BoA doesn’t affect them that much.
July 30, 2008 at 1:13 am
just because DBSK can kick any JE boyband’s butts
it’s really… weird how JE seems to control Music Station? Shouldn’t it eb the other way around or something…?
July 30, 2008 at 4:56 pm
it’s not just for them, many other are banned from the show, and it’s a well-known fact. The situation will probably not change either but there are still plenty of shows that will showcase them. Personally indifferent towards this since it’s almost like JE had signed contract with media having constant promotion. Just think of many other that doesn’t even get much promotion spotlight, this is really nothing special.
July 31, 2008 at 6:54 am
I know all of you guys are pretty irked, but mind you, even though they do have three Oricon Weekly #1s, the numbers don’t really go beyond 80k…and that’s still medicore numbers for a Japanese hitmaker. BoA may have only a single oricon weekly ichiban, but mind you, before her current falling sales in japan, she had been selling singles not only by thousands or ten thousands…she went by hundred thousands or millions. (Listen to My Heart and Valenti hit the million mark). Now comparing it to DBSK current JPOP sales, it is quite undrstandable. Da Pump and W-inds sold half a million copies of their singles but MSta didn’t let them on either. The only way to let them enter MSta is by the power of Cassiopeia either making a huge-run petition, or sending bulks of mail (all at the same time) to the show’s PD.
Or, though this is not advisable, Cassiopeia and Bigeast pulls of an ELF and do a rally in front of TV Asahi to let the boys in. Now that would be news! XD Just kidding.
August 10, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Johnny’s boys really have nothing against DBSK, I don’t know about the Kat-tun, arashi, or NEWS, but i’ve seen Hey! Say Jump.. and omg… 12-13 year olds with boys way older ….. and I don’t understand how they are selling thousands of singles…but yeah… give it time. And I think it would be hilarious IF Cassi and bigeast hold a rally HAHAHA
August 27, 2008 at 3:54 am
i love johnnys ENT.
August 27, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Oh, boy.
Music Station said it doesn’t allow DBSK to perform? What junk. Music Station is a rather high-name music show in Japan, more than others like Hey!x3 or Music Fighter, and so on. Of course JE boys always feature, but that’s because, let’s face it, without JE then the whole of the music industry wouldn’t be moving. When DBSK makes a hit single that it is enough to make a ‘DBSK surge’ in Japan, like BoA did, they won’t be on it, and rightly so. I think you’re looking too far into the MS thing, because W-inds is one of the most popular J-pop bands, and they haven’t ever gone on Music Station either, except for the lead singer Keita when he released his solo single. And they’re Japanese.
Also, I wish people will stop saying who dances and sings better and what not. It’s all to personal taste and not all JE boys enter to sing and dance. Some of them don’t even know they’re supposed to sing when they audition. (Like Ninomiya from Arashi) SM auditions on the otherhand, focus lots on the appearance and their skill in singing. JE boys are not strictly singers or performers, they are what you call, ‘talents’, they run TV, appear on commercials, act in dramas, get plastered all over stores with their commercial posters selling lipgloss or a camera or phone brand or something or other. The music part of it, might even be called a sidedish to a JE boy’s whole career. Yamashita Tomohisa from NEWS, stated many times he wants to focus more on acting over everything else. DBSK on the other hand, have always been performers and debuted for the sake of music, not for acting or anything else. Because of that, DBSK just doesn’t have enough marketing in Japan yet. If you ever walk down a street in Tokyo you’ll realize just how much JE runs Japan itself. Of course, comparing to that, DBSK barely has any promotion in Japan, since they don’t have their own variety shows on TV. DBSK fans should stop criticizing JE music and state that it is inferior to DBSK, since even if it was it wouldn’t matter, it’s all about promotion. If you want DBSK to have a better marketing plan in Japan, go cry to the SM CEOs.
If you think JE has too much influence, do you really think SM doesn’t have as much influence in Korea? Although now DBSK haven’t been in Korea for a long time so they aren’t shown as much, the prominent music industries always dominate television, and it’s just the way it’s going to be. You might complain that J.juniors and young debuted kids like those of the Hey! Say! JUMP kind are popular just because they’re Johnnies, but I would say the same thing about SHINee and their sudden rise to popularity because they’re SM.
In fact, I don’t think DBSK fans should feel bad that they’re getting topped by JE. Especially if you think JE people are not worth it. Then you should just take it in stride. THe day will come when DBSK will sell as much as other JE bands, if they keep at it and their fangirls stop whining. They’re slowly gaining their fandom in Japan too, so just be patient.
Besides, what’s wrong with being fans of both?
August 27, 2008 at 2:02 pm
“When DBSK makes a hit single that it is enough to make a ‘DBSK surge’ in Japan, like BoA did, they won’t be on it, and rightly so.”
Until, DBSK makes…
gosh, one does tire oneself out.
August 27, 2008 at 2:09 pm
“When I read about the part where they place them as “foreigners”… that bothers me a lot. They’ve worked so hard and they are still as “foreigners” not placed under J-pop. Yes, they are foreigners BUT they can speak and understand Japanese pretty well. It makes no sense to me. ”
Also, about this, I should think Koreans, (being one myself,) would never want to be called Japanese or get filed under one, even after being inside their music industry. I’m sure it is the same with every single person alive. They ARE foreigners even if they’re in Japan! Just WHY this bothers so many people I would never understand. It would be the exact same thing even if KAT-TUN or NEWS came to Korea and started speaking in Korean and singing in Korean, they WON’T BE KOREAN. I’m capping here for emphasis, not because I’m angry or something. I don’t think you want DBSK to deny their heritage, do you?
Why should it matter if they’re filed under a different section of the store?
August 27, 2008 at 2:19 pm
“And you know what else? Johnnys boy bands are set up much differently than Korean bands as well. In Johnnys, not all of them are close. Some aren’t even close yet. They just get together to sing and work but go off and do their own thing later (like acting in dramas). It makes it more irritating for me if they don’t even want to get to know each other.”
Sorry for being a pest, but you know, you asked for opinions.
Why should you expect them all to be close? It’s like going to school, and someone who’s not from your school asks you who is in your school, you’ll answer with your immediate friends. Do you expect yourself to know all 1000 people in your school, and be their friend, friend enough to go out with them and live with them? All of JE boys weren’t friends since their birth, and they just met in their careers, to work together, and you can’t expect them to suddenly confess their love for each other and have dinner with each other and anything more than trust enough to do work. When you go to your company you don’t know all 400 people there. You know several people, yes, they’re from the section you work in and you trust them to do their work. You occasionally treat them to lunch sometimes. Just what else is needed? As long as they’re not fighting over stupid things, I don’t think this is an issue to be brought up.
August 27, 2008 at 3:03 pm
For the start, DBSK fans should stop bashing other groups, be it JE boys or BigBang or other boybands. I mean, it’s totally ridiculous just to put your idol above the rest by criticizing the others. The only band DBSK fans doesn’t criticize is most probably those from SMTown. But I believe they hate SNSD as well.
And the 3 times #1 oricon chart topping is just plain dumb. How can anyone forget the day Avex changed Tohoshinki’s 23rd Single – Doushite just to avoid competition with Hey!Say!Jump! ? I believe they will change the date again just to avoid competition with NEWS this coming October.
Look at their sales figures in Japan. It’s nothing to be boastful about if you want to compare to BoA or the yearly Oricon chart. I would say DBSK made it to the top because of foreign fans and not because of the Japanese fans.
DBSK will always be Koreans. If the fans wanted them to be considered as Japanese, then so proud of them topping the chart 3 times as a FOREIGNER?
Why are the fans complaining about underage kids performing on Japan national television, may I ask one question? How old was BoA when she first started singing and selling well? I believe Max was only 15 when he debuted.
JE boys don’t even promote themselves outside Japan except for maybe Taiwan. They don’t hold annual concerts everywhere in Asia, just to add on YET they are selling so well. Justify it yourself.
Johhny’s Associates is not all about singing and dancing. They are for entertainment. As long as the viewers enjoy them, they sell.
I’m a fan of both DBSK and JE. Why can’t you? I’m just a bit annoyed with obsessive fans.
August 27, 2008 at 8:10 pm
First and foremost, I think you should know that “cannot” is one word. And Johnny damn well knows his importance, cuz it’s pretty noticeable. =/
I like DBSK and JE together. And I like watching Shounen Club. It’s cute and fun and lot of pretty boys together. What is not to like?
I’m a fan of DBSK but I think some fans are being way to elitist…
August 27, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Isn’t DBSK releasing their album, not their single?
NEWS is releasing a single, so it won’t matter on the Oricon charts and sales figures anyway, they’re going to be on different charts…
>_>
August 31, 2008 at 4:20 am
don’t know- maybe they trying to keep the balance of the music industry somehow- anyway, everything got it’s own reason though.
September 9, 2008 at 6:55 am
Johnny isn’t a guy who grossly overestimates his importance, he IS important and no one in Japan can deny that. Seeing as he has power over the media whether it be magazines or television stations. (idk if anyone else knows about the whole Kodansha thing here is a link: http:// gaijinheart. blog100.fc2.com/ blog-entry-154. html) just take out the spaces in the link.
And Johnny knows he has all the power, so I doubt he’d be threatened by DBSK, even though they sing and perform a lot better than Johnny’s boys.
I like both anyway, being a DBSK and KAT-TUN fan myself. (:
September 19, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I’m a listener of DBSK and Arashi and I have to say their both boybands at the end of the day to me. I’m sure SM Ent. was well aware of the competition one would face in Japan (or America in BOA’s case) and is probably not to particulary worried about Music Station’s decision. What it comes down to is the fans and if they are willing to support (purchase) the artist work. If Tohoshinki was to be crushed by this then it means that they didn’t have a strong fan base to begin with or a loyal one.
December 21, 2008 at 5:59 am
Im a big fan of both JE boybands and SM boybands. Image this for a moment you had this boyfriend who you have dated for many years then a prettier,talented girl comes along and tries to steal your man. You wouldn’t want him hangin around her.
December 21, 2008 at 6:05 am
I a fan of JE boybands and SM boybands. I see where Johnny is coming from he wants his boys to be on top, but he wants them there all tghe time so when fresh faces from a different country threatens his regin he wants to block them out as much possible. But at the same time he needs to grow up he can’t always or his boys can’t always be on top it is time for other people to shine and DONG BANG SHINKI can do that all by themselves
December 29, 2008 at 12:49 am
the fact that dbsk’s albums are listed under foriegn music in Japan doesn’t bother me because it’s true. dbsk isn’t japanese and they seem proud of their heritage so i don’t see why this matters. most music stores have international sections anyway so i don’t really see the issue here. like others have said before me ‘just because you speak japanese, doesn’t mean you are japanese.’ dbsk has tons of fans. i mean i’m a fan myself. ^^ it’s no secret how japan can be (no offence >.<), i mean they have clubs that don’t allow foreigners, foreigners can only right their name in katakana and not kanji and other things.
so let’s all just show love to whatever we like. whether it’s dbsk or JE boybanys (i’ve never heard JE’s boybands before so i’ll have to look them up after this
love love love music!
January 4, 2009 at 12:25 pm
yup dbsk are foreign, therefore under foreign artist category. not that it should affect their sales, if people want it, they would buy it no matter where in the cd shop its situated. not all japanese are stuck up though, its just that racism is evident in every country. japanese do not like to stuff their culture down people throats, so to this date they remain to be very mysterious people. a culture that managed to fuse ancient traditions with modern civilization so well.
i have a feeling that sm would do the same to any artist who is a threat to dbsk in korea. theyre no angels either…its a ruthless business.
and as said before w-inds did not appear on music station either yet they are so successful. plus dbsk got to appear on all other major music shows so they should be happy with that.
johnny san may be crazy but he is a marketing genius and the profits he makes from those untalented malnourished pretty boys are pretty incredible. im not saying that all of JE is untalented, there are a few who can sing and a few who can act, if ur willing to put up with the initial torture u can discover some good stuff too in terms of music as well.
the japanese are really smart people, they know exactly what fandom is and does not take it too seriously. at the end of the day the johnny’s boys make a lot of money for a lot of people and thats all that matters to them. i first scoffed at johnny’s before i realised there is more to it than meets the eye. besides the fact that they have endearing personalties, they are just so freaking cool. i dunno how they can do such lame stuff but still have that cool persona. also their lifestyle is so much more laid back when compared to korean idols, they dont have to worry about competition, they dont have to live together in dorms, they go on freaking vacations!, they have more independence to make decisions, they earn a lot of money cos its not only album sales but its dramas, movies, cms, radio, variety, concerts…individually and with group. its not all a bed of roses though, all idols have to go through the pain of being one.
shounen club plugs all the juniors so that they would have established fan bases by the time they debut. thats basically their training period broadcast all over the world. debuting as a johnny’s artist is like winning the lottery, the media worships you, you only get the best of the best and are treated with the utmost respect. so johnny san himself carefully handpicks them and doesnt give a frick if they can sing or dance as long as they have the will to be a star and is respectable. he keeps a very low profile so its almost impossible to find a decent pic of him. they have the most horrible fashion designer so i tend to avoid watching the performances themselves but i enjoy watching johnny’s in other areas. in the end they are all boybands so its best not to take it too seriously. image is all that matters cos most fangirls just dont care about music. its all about fan service and i think the johnny’s win in that area for sure!
February 13, 2009 at 9:40 am
uwaa~ this is the first time i have read this news ’bout dbsk. i knew something was up when i saw them on Mstation
i have seen how music station clearly didn’t allow DBSK be a guest on their show.,
i mean, isn’t it rude to not let them sit or be intruduced as guest then show them perform later on? (talking ’bout last angel performance) i think it made them look like some kind of back-up singers and not as collaborative artists for the single., (aren’t japanese people supposed to be known for their manners? no offense~ )
i agree with some of the comments here., i think there is nothing wrong with dbsk being classified as a foreign artist., i mean what’s wrong with it in the first place ne? it is true. they are still korean even if they do talk or act japanese.,
and then there is the comment about JE., i agree with the comments about how they reacted towards dbsk’s presence in their turf,. man! i think it just made him look like he can’t handle compition.,
P.S
i both support and <3 KPOP & JPOP equally.,
February 13, 2009 at 9:46 am
“They don’t do much for boybands in America, except make boybands in America look better..”
> im sorry but i don’t understand what you mean by this? boy bands in america? do you mean like nsync and backstreet boys? if so, how? in what ways? i mean do you mean they are different? if so, how? ’cause i can’t seem to agree with you there.,
i love nsync though., n___n
<3 NSYNC
April 22, 2009 at 11:51 am
Dbsk is sth different, they have talent, training, personalities, looks, and a story life, while the japanese boyband’s by johnny are soo made up…although SM doesn’t do much better
i do not agree with the fact that u said that they make american boybands looks better, WTF?, no way, dbsk is way better, not to mention american boyband usually include those blondies with no voice, like male versions of singers who can dance but not sing like britney spears, mandy moore, and on, i mean, they know how to sing, but the talent is nothing compared to dbsk and such…
but yeah, i agree, they are like japanese artists, they don’t sing in a foreign language, so their CD’s should be in the japanese part
is BoA also put in the same foreign categorie?
this is just too complicated
May 28, 2009 at 1:14 pm
although i agree with you in some areas, there still are some pretty talented johnny’s. there’s yamashita tomohisa, tegoshi yuya, akanishi jin, and more.
and you complain about prejudice. there’s no way there could be no prejudice in any music industry. there’s has to be some because that’s just the way things are.
I’m pretty sure japanese singers won’t get as much attention in the american music industry~ same as Se7en and BOA!
June 20, 2009 at 4:16 am
Well, Arashi’s Ohno is one good example of a very talented JE. he’s versatile.