Prologue: When Japan’s “peripheral music” moves the world
Text: mmr｜Theme: Why does Japanese subculture music reach the world? - Understanding the history of the formation of overseas fandoms and cultural translation, with a focus on visual kei and idol culture
“X JAPAN” “BABYMETAL” “Perfume” “Dir en grey” When these names are mentioned, many overseas listeners speak of them with fond memories. Japanese subculture music, once considered “Galapagos culture,” has transcended national borders as a unique system of expression in the 21st century.
At its root is the phenomenon that music functions as a translation device for cultural codes. Go beyond language and evoke “nonverbal empathy” through visuals, concepts, fashion, and physical expression. This article will delve into how Japanese subculture music gained worldwide support from a cultural sociological perspective, centering on visual kei and idol culture.
Chapter 1: “Style” and “Narrative” of Visual Kei
Visual Kei was established in the late 1980s with X (currently X JAPAN) and BUCK-TICK. This genre, which added aestheticism, theatricality, and gender ambiguity to a Western rock structure, functioned more than music as a device for presenting a ``worldview.’’
For overseas listeners, the appeal of Visual Kei lies in its expressiveness that transcends musical genres. Makeup and costumes are not just appearances; they blur the boundaries between the individual and society, and are seen as symbols of self-reconstruction. Especially in Europe, it is understood as an extension of gothic, androgynous, and post-punk culture. In America, it was recontextualized through anime culture and otaku sensibilities.
“They are not pretending to be rock stars — they perform identity.” (From a post on overseas fan forum “J-Music Underground”)
This ``performed identity’’ resonated with young people around the world as a means of expressing the postmodern subject.
Chapter 2: Idol culture’s “community fantasy” and cross-border translation
Idols are often seen as something unique to Japan, but their support from overseas is stronger than expected. One reason for this is that we have clearly designed a ``community fan experience.’’
AKB48’s “Idols you can meet”, Nogizaka46’s cleanliness, BABYMETAL’s impersonation of metal grammar–
These are not just entertainment, but a clever blueprint for cultural translation.''
The reason behind BABYMETAL's success at overseas festivals is
There was a structural strategy to embed the concept ofJapanese idols’’ within the global style of metal.
The export of idol culture is also a fusion of religious ritual and technological community. Handshake events, broadcasts, and SNS live events digitize ceremonial “contact” and turn fans into “followers.” This structure was translated overseas as ``participatory culture,’’ and as a result, cultural boundaries were dissolved.
Chapter 3: Resonant structure of media and fandom
Since the 2000s, the emergence of YouTube and Nico Nico Douga has globalized Japanese subculture music.
MV, live footage, fan subtitles, reaction videos.
In particular, reaction culture'' has encouraged the visualization of overseas fandoms and created a new act in whichwatching itself is participation’‘**.
It is also important that fan activities through doujinshi and cosplay expanded the musical experience. Crossover with anime and game culture He has established a culture in which Japanese music is not only “listened to” but also “performed and reproduced.”
If we look at this structure from a media theory perspective, It can be said that “audience activation” = “co-creation of cultural translation”. Fans write their own subtitles, spread memes, and reconstruct the symbolism of idols and artists. Because of this ``re-editability,’’ Japanese subculture music has come to play a role in global pop.
Chapter 4: Post-national identity and gender crossing
What visual kei and idol fans from overseas have in common is their empathy for the fluidity of gender and identity. The androgynous aesthetic of Visual Kei and the grammar of “cuteness = reversal of power” in idol culture, It also connects with the LGBTQ+ community and queer theory.
For example, X JAPAN’s YOSHIKI and L’Arc~en~Ciel’s HYDE wear feminine expressions even though they are male. This was sublimated as “direction.” This ambiguity is the reason why he has been accepted around the world as an expressive figure in the post-gender era.
Furthermore, the way young female idols like BABYMETAL ``ceremonially subvert’’ the male-dominated metal scene, It also made possible a feminist interpretation. In other words, Japanese subculture music expresses “non-national” and “non-sexual” expressions. As a result, it transformed into a post-national empathetic structure.
Chapter 5: Second wave of globalization - Japanese uniqueness compared to K-POP
In the late 2010s, with the global success of K-POP, It was said that Japanese pop culture had temporarily faded into obscurity. However, visual kei and idol culture survived with a “different grammar.”
If K-POP’s strength lies in its precision as a “completed product,” Japanese subculture music is about “imperfection” and “closeness,” In other words, the value is the amount of room for fan intervention. The reason why overseas fans are attracted to Japanese underground idols and indie visual kei is that This is because I sympathize with its “open and unfinished nature.”
In addition, the melody-oriented and emotional lyrics of J-POP, It is perceived as “exotic nostalgia” and is loved in a context different from the global orientation of Korean pop.
Final chapter: The future of subculture music–from translation to co-creation
Today, visual kei and idols are no longer exclusive to “Japanese culture.” Brazilian visual kei bands, French underground idol events, American doujin festivals… Around the world, we are evolving from “imitation” to “co-creation.”
The essence of subculture music lies in building empathy through multi-layered translation. Expressions originating from Japan are reconfigured as mirrors of other cultures, A new sensibility is added to it.That cycle is This is a new form of “music that transcends borders.”
Chronology: Main topics of subculture music crossing borders
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