Two idols, the fans they dated and even their parents are all being sued by the group’s management for over 8 million yen in damages for “contract violation” and “betraying their fans,” soon prompting accusations of “slavery” and “human rights violations” against the agency in turn.
The agency managing the idol group in question, “Aoyama☆Sei HachaMecha High School” or “MechaHai” for short, took umbrage at the sudden departure of two members, 19-year-old Miho and 22-year-old Seina.
Their producer went so far as to publicly accuse them of “committing a serious contract violation – they were both dating fans” at an August event in Tokyo.
Even more shockingly, he then went on to name their partners and proclaim the agency would sue them, the two girls, and the parents of the girls for 8,230,000 yen in damages, providing the legal documents to the fans in attendance to prove it.
Their producer explained the logic behind suing all concerned for this egregious product violation:
“The parents of these two girls signed a contract stipulating ‘no romantic relationships with fans’ and ‘no abandonment of the workplace.’ They have betrayed the other members and all the fans, it is not something we can forgive.”
Predictably this scandal was itself rapidly taken up as another example of the scandalous excesses of the idol trade online:
“So, Idol = Slave, basically.”
“It had nothing to do with the fans – are these idols the property of their agency or what?”
“What is this, some yakuza brothel?”
“How can they sue fans for violating a contract they never agreed to…”
“I don’t see how these contracts can be legal. Isn’t banning romantic activity a fundamental human rights violation?”
“I can’t believe anyone would sign a contract like that.”
“It cannot be legal in any case.”
“This must constitute criminal intimidation at least.”
“I can’t believe any lawyer thinks they can win this case.”
“I expect these idiots just got themselves sued by the fans they outed.”
“‘Those two damaged our products!'”
“Looking at their pics you can find girls their level anywhere.”
“I think this is marketing via controversy again – nobody ever heard of this group, there is no way they can get cash out of the fans and could well get sued themselves for defamation, and the contract stipulation of no romance is probably illegal and unenforceable.”
“Actually quite clever really.”
“The agency was probably whoring the poor girls out to the fans but these guys got caught out somehow…”
“According to their wiki they formed in 2012 from Nico Live, have sold over 1,000 CDs, and in line with their name call their fans ‘teachers’ – god.”
“This must all part of some new scam.”
“Those fans just need their own lawyers and they have an easy win right there…”
Sighs. You know, seeing this going on makes me wonder why Japan isn’t suing the PRODUCERS for s♥♥t like this. I swear, this is by far the worst case of human stupidity Ive ever seen from an Idol producer I’ve ever seen.
This has to stop now. I swear this is more ridiculous than AKB48’s Shenanigans.
Also noted that what the producers are doing, even with contract, violates human rights.
Sue fans??? Really? How stupid an Idol Produder can be?
lol@keyboard warriors who think their complaining on internet forums is going to do ANYTHING to change the mind of the business folk who run these groups.
Silly, silly nips.
The male idol agencies are terrible too but you hardly ever hear about those. Sexual abuse by their male superiors, being treated like objects for horny old housewives, being forced to take part in questionable photoshoots and activities. Recently there was a scandal where one of the Johnny’s Entertainment boys was actually fired for taking part in a small family business. He’s well into his twenties. So you can’t improve your future prospects for when the public inevitably gets tired of you for younger, hotter groups. And yes, women go for younger guys just like guys do for women. (Can’t deny it… women like youth too, especially when it’s rich youth.) Thing is, the men are expected to suck it up and not complain because they are men and their feelings aren’t important.
Suing the idols & parents sounds like breach of contract (idols can’t have lovers & parents responsible for enforcing this where & when company can’t).
Suing the fans sounds like either trespassing (touching & entering the idols without the company’s permission), theft of property (taking the idols without the company’s permission), or vandalism (‘damaging’ and/or ‘destroying’ innocence/purity/virginity of the idols — or the image thereof of such — which is the company’s property by contract).
Maybe the idols can get out of this by claiming there was nothing “romantic” about what happened.