[Column] Why visual kei and idol culture cross borders: The international sympathy structure of subculture music
Column en Idol Jpop Visual-kei![[Column] Why visual kei and idol culture cross borders: The international sympathy structure of subculture music](/../assets/images/column-visualkei-idol-global.webp)
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”
これらの名前を挙げたとき、多くの海外リスナーは熱狂的な記憶とともに彼らを語る。
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. 西洋的ロック構造に耽美主義・演劇性・ジェンダーの曖昧さを加えたこのジャンルは、音楽以上に「世界観」を提示する装置として機能した。
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.”
（海外ファンフォーラム「J-Music Underground」投稿より）
This ““performed identity’’ resonated with young people around the world as a means of expressing the postmodern subject.
第2章：アイドル文化の「共同幻想」と越境翻訳
Idols are often seen as something unique to Japan, but their support from overseas is stronger than expected. その理由の一つは、「共同体としてのファン体験」を明確に設計している点にある。
AKB48”s “Idols you can meet”, Nogizaka46”s cleanliness, BABYMETAL’s impersonation of metal grammar–
これらは単なるエンタメではなく、「文化的翻訳」の巧妙な設計図である。
BABYMETALが海外フェスで成功した背景には、
「日本的アイドル」というコンセプトを、メタルというグローバル様式の中に埋め込む構造的戦略があった。
アイドル文化の輸出は、宗教的儀礼とテクノロジー的共同体の融合でもある。
握手会、配信、SNSライブは、儀礼的な“接触”をデジタル化し、ファンを「信徒」に変える。
This structure was translated overseas as ““participatory culture,’’ and as a result, cultural boundaries were dissolved.
第3章：メディアとファンダムの共振構造
Since the 2000s, the emergence of YouTube and Nico Nico Douga has globalized Japanese subculture music.
MV、ライブ映像、ファン字幕、リアクション動画。
In particular, ““reaction culture” has encouraged the visualization of overseas fandoms and created a new act in which ““watching itself is participation”**.
It is also important that fan activities through doujinshi and cosplay expanded the musical experience. Crossover with anime and game culture 日本音楽を“聴く”だけでなく“演じる・再生産する”文化として定着させた。
この構造をメディア理論的に見るならば、
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.
たとえば、X JAPANのYOSHIKIやL’Arc〜en〜CielのHYDEは、男性でありながら女性的な表象を纏い、
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 その“開かれた未完成性”に共感するからである。
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.
終章：サブカル音楽の未来――翻訳から共創へ
Today, visual kei and idols are no longer exclusive to “Japanese culture.” Brazilian visual kei bands, French underground idol events, American doujin festivals… 世界各地で「模倣」から「共創」へと進化している。
サブカル音楽の本質は、多層的翻訳による共感の構築にある。
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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