This is the industry’s most controversial export. Idols sign contracts that effectively forbid romantic relationships. When a member of the supergroup AKB48 was caught spending the night at a boyfriend’s house in 2013, she was forced to shave her head and issue a tearful, humiliating apology on YouTube. To Western eyes, this is draconian; to the Japanese industry, it is necessary to protect the "pure girlfriend fantasy" that drives fan spending. Susho SDDE 318 JAV Censored DVDRip
How did Japanese culture become so popular in the Western world?
These fans spend thousands on "handshake tickets" (to meet the idol for three seconds) or buying dozens of CD copies to vote for their favorite member in general elections. It is a hyper-capitalist, emotionally manipulative, but undeniably effective system.
: Even today, theaters like Suzumoto Engei Hall in Tokyo keep traditional engei (performing arts) alive.
