Quote:
Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer
Hmmm, that's true, but I really think it's more true in America than in Japan. For example, B'z, Southern All Stars, Mr. Children, SMAP etc, are pretty much all universally liked yet I don't think anyone in Japan would consider them irrelevant.
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I think that's because these musical acts have already been around long enough that they are at that stage in their artistic careers that they are regarded as masters at their craft already. For me, the artist always begins as some sort of enfant terrible, dividing opinion, and then matures and eventually becomes the gatekeeper of their chosen art. All the acts you've mentioned are heading towards that already
And Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi were actively disliked in Japan before they became designated as important cultural properties, so I don't think it's more true in America than it is in Japan. The same love/hate happens in a lot of the Japanese arts: ceramics, theater, dance. Butoh is still marginalized, but its influence on modern dance is staggering.
It's too early for Ayu to be beloved and bestowed some sort of greatness at this point in her career. I want her to continue to explore musical and cultural territories even to the point that she is hated for doing such. I know I keep on bringing it up in this forum, but it's disappointing that Hikki has been so willingly embraced this early on. Her music has fossilized, in my opinion. It has stopped evolving artistically.