March 03, 2007

ranks

I truly, truly hate the way JE always divides the guys in ranks. On the last entry I was speaking of ranks through colours. Now it's ranks through photo size, ring colour, and place. Just to show how complex this ranks thing is, let's analyse the cover of the Juniors 2007-8 calendar... [credits to Fiona from Happy Town]
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Yabu, who is the leading junior, is placed at the top part, in the centre, the colour of the ring around his photo is red (leadership), and his is one of the biggest pics. Hikaru too gets a big pic, placed at the top, but the ring is blue (co-leadership). Kitayama is 3rd most important junior, as can be deemed by the fact that his pic has been placed at the top and is the same size as Yabu's and Hikaru's. His ring cannot be red because he's not as important as Yabu, but then he's the leader of his group, KMF2, so to show that he gets a purple ring, a colour resulting from red, which is the colour of leadership. Fujigaya is an important junior too, so he has a big pic as well, placed at the top too, and since he's the co-leader of KMF2 his ring is blue, like Hikaru's.
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Notice that Senga, who of late seems to have become one of JE's favourites has a bigger pic than Yokoo, and he has a special colour: bright green. In fact JE has been pimping KMF2 more than ABC (as can be seen from the fact that they appeared on theit own on the latest Music Station), so Tottsu and Kawai are less important than Kitayama and Fujigaya: they're at the top too, but their pics are smaller, and their status in their group is co-leaders at the same level, so they both get a blue ring.
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What about Shoon? Well, it seems he's less important than Yabu, Hikaru, Kitayama, Fujigaya, Tottsu, and Kawai, because his photo is smaller, has been placed at the far left, and his ring is yellow. He seems to share the same status as Inoo (far right).
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Yûto's pic is at the bottom part, but he's one of JE's main assets, so he gets a pic as big as Yabu's and Hikaru's, placed in the center, and he gets a pink ring (again a colour resulting from red [red+white] - he doesn't get purple because he's less important than Kitayama). Notice that Yamada's pic is just as big, placed at the right, because after all he's a newcomer to the limelight, but his ring is bright green, like Senga's, because he too is one of JE's favourite's.
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Finally Taiyô... is placed at the bottom, among the youngest juniors (???), his pic is smaller even than Shoon's, and his ring is orange.
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I'm not sure if someone with a big pic at the bottom can be deemed as more important than someone with a smaller pic at the top (e.g. are Yamada and Yûto more important than Shoon?), but it seems a highly unfair ranking if you ask me. *fumes* JE obsession with ranks sucks. XPPPP
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PS: I added links on the videos section for 2 SC performances provided by Yungboy (thanks as always! ^^BBB).
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PS2: Scans of the whole calendar can be downloaded at Fiona's clubbox. =)

14 comments:

Kamichan said...

I truly, truly hate the way JE always divides the guys in ranks.

Are you a communist?

cherryberry said...

To be honest, I haven't thought about this so much before, but now you wrote about it, you made me think about it. Where can you read more about what different colours represent in Japan? I think that this, as a subject, is interesting.

I'm kinda against this kind of ranking. It's mostly because I like more those ones who don't get so much time in the spotlight and therefore they usually get less space if we think about pictures. I think it's kind of annoying but maybe the most popular ones are popular in the meaning of this word, so I kind of understand it also. Anyway, thanks for pointing this out.

Sere said...

Oh my Gosh, I had no idea of this rank thing o.o pretty confusing, but anyway I was glad about Yabu 'status' heh :~~

Anonymous said...

I... do not think it's that big of a deal. Yabu and Hikaru are the leaders of Ya-Ya-yah = Bigger pictures. Just like Akame for KAT-TUN. Kitayama and Taipi are the front figures for Kisumai. Kawai and Totsu are very popular with ABC fans - or just fans in general = bigger pictures. Yuto and Yamada have been pimped ever since... = bigger pictures. Senga's been pimped in all kinds of ways even before the calendar came out. Though the front doesn't matter much - look inside? All Kisumai. It made me happy. Also, Yabu is the Junior Leader after all, nothing but understandable. It's really not that big of a deal.

Anonymous said...

Like you said, I also hate how JE divides the guys in ranks. Not only do us fans see the ranks, but the guys also have to maintain the rank, the status that JE put them in could also suddenly change. One boy could be the top Jr. then six months later it may not be so anymore. It's sad and that's how JE works, even with groups that already debuted. And the fact that JE could suddenly break off existing groups.

Geri said...

yea, it does suck about the whole ranks thing... T.T *agrees* but still.....oh gosh i want this calendar! >___<

i have a question~ where exactly is Fiona's clubbox? i remember someone posting a list of all the JE-related clubboxes a while back on LJ, but i can't find it, so could you please give me the link? thank you :]

Anonymous said...

OMG!!
how did the JE do this to Shoon & Taiyo???
i really really really hate this discrimination toooooo!!!

unfair!!!!

Anonymous said...

Taiyo needs more love T^T""
*hugs Taiyo*

Anonymous said...

I think so Irea-san TT^TT
It's really unfair for Shoon & Taiyo ,, poor boys *cried*
I always fall on nonequivalence. It makes me feel bad T^T

I hope JE don't leave Shoon&Taiyo

See ya !!

Anonymous said...

hi! i just wanted to know how you made the videos into mp3 rips because i downloaded some videos and i wanted to make it into a mp3.

Anonymous said...

NUU! Why must shoon-chan have a small picture!!?? And Taiyou!? *cries* aww I love them though, they're so cute... I feel sorry for them though, knowing how they ranked. I mean if you knew you weren't as popular, wouldn't you feel a little discouraged? and just not really want to do your best at times?

on another note, its hard to believe the Yabu now is the leader when your watching how he was like in the epi of YA3 in Sept of 2003. When they dropped the losers cell into the onsen lol Yabu acted so badly lol and Shoon just laughed!

P.S. I watched the X-Dame dance ROFL! I just had to learn that dance! now everytime I listen to the song I just have to do the moves!

Anonymous said...

hey, i was looking thru the bday section. and, is it me or are some of the JE boys D.O.B are wrongly stated?

im still waiting for my calendar. i am calculating to see how long Mise*sclusive is going to take.

Anonymous said...

personally, if i were taiyo i would cry. He always seems to be shunned, even on the cover of a calender. I didnt really notice the colour thing but the ring thing is really hard not to notice, i was thinking that its horrible too. Also the way that there are some rings which are bigger then taiyo's for example that little boy who is at the bottom but has a big ring...who is he??? i dont even know his name and he's bigger then Taiyo and Shoon? insane! oh and i also thought that Yuto and Yamada, well at least Yuto were more a favourite in JE then kitayama and fujigaya, but thats from the positions during SC perfs and such things but thats also prob cos theyre so small.

Anonymous said...

i am so used to it already.
i have no feelings about these ranking things. I dont care anymore as long as there IS shoon. haha! from the start when i know i'm gonna fangirl shoon, i predicted this and decided to not be bothered with this. But if one day, even yabu and hikaru gets lesser then what they should be getting (like example smaller circles on cover), i'll get emo. and really bothered about it. XD