26 comments on “Out of all idols, how come Morning Musume has such a large percentage of gay fans?

  1. i go for #23. it might be true…
    i’m still at the rough part i think.
    then i might then consider myself as a female-gay wota.

    i like kimagure and shouganai… nanchatte… they are just so sad
    i remember listening to it when i was so conflicted about my feelings for same sex XD

  2. I’m a gay male and I personally relate to #150 a lot, but I can’t generalize that for the whole H!P gay fans.

    But for the thing that made me a fan of H!P at the first place, is just how relate-able they seem to be, even before I knew about the TV shows and their idol persona. It’s as if I can go there and join them as their friends.

    And Tsunku’s songs are just so cheerful, fun or/and uplifting, even some songs whichi are supposed to be ballads. :D

  3. I think it has to do with the quality of the songs.
    Gays tend to like catchy, happy, well produced music, sung by girls. Lady Gaga, Madonna, Abba, Cher, etc.

    The music of AKB just isn’t all that. Why should they care about writing good music when they can sell millions by prancing around in bikini’s?

  4. Today I learned the word ‘cajolery’.

    Thank you very much for translating these awesome threads! I wonder if other people think I’m gay because I listen to H!P all day…

    • I’m happy you like them! Me, I’m more worried about >>34’s theory. The girlfriend is not going to be pleased with these news…

  5. Well of course you’re going to get these kind of replies on the H!P board. I used to go to 2chome every weekend, and although H!P does have a HUGE following (especially compared to in general), AKB is still incredibly popular and not just cause the songs are well known or anything like that. I once spent a whole night debating AKB and recent changes and members etc. with seven Japanese gay guys I’d just met.

    • Indeed. I was thinking “the H!P board of 2ch” but it seems my brain left that part out. I’ll edit the post to reflect my original thought so as to not cause any misunderstanding. Thanks!

      • Oh I wasn’t trying to like criticize what you were doing or presenting it has. I like what you do here haha, keep up the good work!

        • Oh no worries, I didn’t think you were. I just felt like fixing the wording of that sentence. And thanks! I’ll try. :)

  6. 235:
    H!P’s lyrics are popular with gay people. Stuff like Onna ga Medatte or Kimagure Princess is like it was aimed at the gay audience

    no wonder I love those songs so much

  7. As mentioned in comments I read, I can realte a lot to the childlike innocence that H!P brings. Morning Musume has the genki ~ness that I’d want to bring to the world. The health of ‘I’m strong’ and ‘I can do this!’ and ‘I can be happy and dance’ are all things MM shows. Their songs are mostly geared towards the hope and protection of the planet and fulfilling happiness..which is something I focus on in my life as well.

    It’s a like – like combination that my fandom to Morning Musume and H!P exists. I don’t think it’s really about being gay either.. but I feel a lot of gays and other people have been able to accept themselves more as who they are because of the genuine approach to being happy. We know the girls are not all goody goody in every single bit and way to pieces, but the goal is always to keep the peace and keep fighting by being happy with ourselves and making connections with the world. —-]

    H!P is like my ALCOHOL.

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  9. I think that people who like H!P as a whole are one of those people who would like the world to be a better place for, well any decent creature in our world. I don’t see that kind of thing to be in any way connected to sexuality.

  10. why does H!P attract so many gay people? Because AKB48 already attracts most of the 30-40 year old straight male virgins. I’m not saying that sarcastically. There is truth in this and is statistically proven. A majority of their consumers are midlife crisis men who spank it to their photobooks and MVs. AKB’s producer knows what he’s doing. It’s just business and one can’t blame him for wanting to rake in the big buck$. And what better way to do that but by using the oldest trick in the book. Sell Sex. Sorry to offend any of their fans but that’s the initial observation of most people I’ve known at my college when they’ve looked at any of AKB ‘s MV’s or shows but especially magazines. The best response was when they looked at Mayu Watanabe’s perfect bubblicious ass. What gay male would comment let alone be drooling for that? Lesbians, i honestly don’t think or at least a majority of them, aren’t into JPop so i wouldn’t expect a lot of talk coming from them about AKB on internet forums.

    H!P from its beginnings seem like your typical 90’s music genre but in Japanese. That changed overnight once 2000 hit. I think Refrigeeta2000’s, Dexter’s, and clover12’s comments pretty much sums up the gist of the root of what you’re asking for. It’s all about the happy vibe H!P and MM give off which they easily relate to.

    as a straight male in college, i never knew of H!P when i was growing up just as MM was in its peak. I’m in the same age category as the 5th and 6th generation MM members but i never paid any attention to them cause i was more into Playstation, sports and girls at my school. This changed when i first saw Rika Ishikawa. I thought she was one of the most beautiful Japanese girls i ever saw. Then came Gaki and then Sayu and i was hooked. From then on i dated Asian girls in college who looked like Aichan, Mikitty, Reina or Sayumi. Until i found a serious gf who looks like Kamei with the personality and the body to boot (i consider myself lucky). I knew of AKB before i knew of MM. I listened to AKB’s stuff and thought it was alright. Mariko Shinoda reminded me of a girl i dated in the 10th grade–very model-esque but sort of high maintenance. And that was my initial “feeling” for AKB. They just seemed like a lot of girls i knew at my old high school who just seem too pretentious. Sure i liked the fact that they flaunt their bodies in bikinis. But i can get that here in the states. H!P girls, the ones that i crushed on not only are cute but they give off this persona about themselves that they’re not above anyone. And when they’re goofy, for me, it’s like one of the most irresistible things to see considering I never thought Japanese girls, let alone an idol, could let their hair down. ANd that was refreshing to me. When H!P wear bikinis, it’s for the right reason like when they’re on a trip to Hawaii or Guam. Not constantly used in MV’s variety shows or magazines. Modesty can be good especially when you’re an idol. I just don’t see that coming from AKB. ANd when they try it’s like they’re trying too hard to constantly look good on camera and it comes off unnatural. Perhaps gay people sense this too.

  11. As a gay woman, I agree with some of the points that everyone has made, I am not sure as to “gays stick to it until the end” though it could be true when it comes to icons like Madonna. I laughed for 5 minutes when reading that thanks to gays and menopause ladies, Seiko Matsuda can still sell out Tokyo Dome.
    More than “queer phrases” I think it brings out certain phrases or questions that are very felt if you listen closely. Lyric-wise, it has an innocent approach to things, without sounding immature and that’s why it’s enjoyable for anyone that could relate. Also the songs have always been catchy and danceable. I also want to try choreography everytime my iPod plays Songs, Suki sugite baka mitai or Souda! (though I’m terrible at dancing). I feel hard Nanchatte and Seishun no Hikari.
    I have to say I stopped following MM after the platinum era though. But that doesn’t mean I have stopped supporting H!P.

    I have met couple gay girls who are into AKB/SKE/you name it for the fanservice, then for the music, but mostly for the fan service. And when you’re a gay girl and get things like Oshibe to meshibe yoru no chou chou and Kataomoi Finally PV, of course you could be set to rejoice. But let’s not forget that lesbians are not their target market, but 40 year old virgins. The song, arrangements are standard, the lyrics could be/are sexual, KataFai PV could be interesting for infamous “lgbt issues”, although it is exaggerated, Oshibe is sex on stage, hence the huge downside of all of this is that it does sell sex between minors and you have to be blind not to see it.
    There’s this interview made by CNN to Akimoto where he’s precisely asked about this (with Heavy Rotation as example), he answered “It’s an expression of art”, “It’s all in the viewers mind” and lol: opinions. He also states through the interview that “he doesn’t know what he is doing, because he is not a business person, so he doesn’t have a business plan. He only knows that if people like something, a chain reaction is due to happen”, heh.

    There could be a huge debate of course as to what to prefer and why, but facts are facts.

  12. Not gay, just female.

    #79 – Gotta agree a bit, the supporting girls outshine the leads for me as well. They’re far more interesting and work very hard to get what little spotlight they can.

    #87 – Wow, H!P music playing among those two’s, that’s impressive.
    – #167 – Oh? I pretty much figured that but still, it looks great from my side of the pond.

    #97 – Glad to see the country is finally getting over its AKB-fever. I wouldn’t mind if H!P never gets their golden-era fame back but it’d be nice if more people knew this agency a little bit better.

    #149 – Might have very well hit the nail on the head. H!P is very girl-friendly, it’s definitely something foreign female fans notice right away. Even my mom’s noticed that while C-ute can be VERY sexy (Dance de Bakoon!/Kiss Me Aishiteru/Aitai Aitai Aitai na/Crazy Kanzen na Otona/Adam to Eve no Dilemma) they never go far enough to be raunchy, so they’ve never turned me away. If H!P started to go the AKB-route and catered to only men I’d have to stop being a loyal fan, I think.

    #158 – 888888888888888 That’s a great comparison!

    #242 – I would love to see the crowd reaction when that song comes on!

    Someone take me down to 2chrome, it sounds fun!

  13. Personally, I may not be gay and there’s only five H!P fans besides myself where I live but AKB has never really interested me. I like a couple of their songs but as a whole, they rely way too much on sexuality for me to truly enjoy them. I quite happen to enjoy the uplifting lyrics, positive messages in the songs that Tsunku writes. Besides, I would prefer to support a group of idols who know when to bring but still know how to be humble at the same time. I actually wrote a letter to H!P voicing some concerns about Suzuki Kanon and sent the link to them. I wasn’t expecting them to read it but I received a response from them a couple of days later. I don’t think that I’d get that if I did the same thing with AKB.

    I really enjoy the fact that H!P is reaching out to their foreign fans and taking the time to communicate with us. I like this transparency in a company or idol groups and I hope that it remains.

  14. I’m a bisexual female and I have plenty of gay male Friends wotas, why? Because deep inside them they feel like a girl and feel connected to their music, I can’t say all gays feel the same but I think the happines and genkiness of H!p make gay people feel refreshed and positive towards the hardships of life.

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  16. I am a gay 16 years old male and I’ve been a big fan of H!P since 2 years now. For me (I am not speaking for all of the other gay fans), I really like H!P because, like most people said within the discussion, the girls are not presented as some sexy object meant for heterosexual men to play with. I just love how each idol has their own personality and how cute they all are.

    I mean, Momochi is just too cute! And Sayumi Michishige is the cute / prestigious type which is adorable too. And even if they are sexy (for example: “Some Boys! Touch” by Maki Goto), they are still cute in some way. Furthermore, I can relate to them since most of H!P songs that talk about love are talking about a potential boyfriend or a male figure. So yes, the lyrics are pretty relatable too.

    Also, I really like how there are so many sub groups and shuffle units, and I love discovering the older H!P groups and soloists such as Aya Matsuura, Maki Goto, Miki Fujimoto, Yuko Nakazawa, Yuko Ogura…

    And also, the style of their songs differs a lot (especially in the early years of H!P). It just adds a lot of diversity and choice. For example: “Love like crazy” by Nochiura Natsumi sounds almost like rap / pop whilst “Watarasebashi” by Ayaya sounds very relaxing / nostalgic.

    Oh and btw, my favourite songs from H!P are:
    Ne-e? (Aya)
    Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai (Berryz Kobo)
    Yaruki! IT’S EASY (Maki Goto)
    What is love? (MM)

  17. To add to my previous comment, each song from H!P usually portrays a specific emotion such as happiness, sadness… I can just relate to each song in a way that it reminds me of my past.

    Also, all of the members seem so friendly and I actually write my own stories where I meet my favourite H!P members, and we perform together and have an awesome sleep over with an epic pillow fight! XD Also, H!P really helped me when I felt lonely and sad before I came out, so I feel very strongly attached to the whole H!P. <3 And btw I am obsessed with Risako Sugaya right now, she is discrete and cool at the same time. Basically, H!P allows me to have girlfriends with no romance involved hahaha.

  18. And finally, I forgot to say it but, I LOVE the choreographies of the songs. Like seriously, I’ve performed some dances from MM and Berryz Kobo at family events lol.

  19. I’m a 21 year old gay American H!P fan. I’ve been a fan since 2014. I pretty much agree with everything that was said. I can’t speak for all gay people, but I think gays typically look up to inspirational girls/women. I think what makes H!P so appealing is that their girls are true to themselves, all at least moderately talented in some way, and they offer a variety of different personalities, voices and looks. I think that’s just why they have so much appeal in general. There’s a girl in H!P that fits everyone’s tastes. They’re so diverse and focused on appealing to everyone. My friend (also gay) said it perfectly, that they “want to make a product anyone can feel comfortable enjoying” and I think that’s perfectly put. They aren’t just focused on their domestic male wota. It’s more about the girls being the best they can be than about their market demographic. And I feel that gay people really see and appreciate that.

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