‘Billion-hit’ Shokotan: Superstar or hype?

Shoko Nakagawa is a superstar, or so we are told, but only recently did we surf into a post that finally revealed her to us. “Shokotan” is sort of a combination of Ami Tokito, Ayumi Hamasaki and Abe Natsumi, at least from a quick perusal of YouTube clips.

 

But Shokotan purports to be a “female otaku,” from media accounts we have gathered. She just turned 23, and has crammed a lot of living in those 23 years. Not only is she involved in music, but acting, cosplay, videogames, manga and just a whole bundle of otaku-related activities.

 

The big weakness is physicality. Dancing doesn’t really enter into Shokotan’s picture very much and she admits to being non-athletic. Therein lies the rub: The great majority of Japan’s gravure-idol types would prefer just to sit or walk around and look good in front of a camera.

 

That’s what sets apart Hello Project’s units. They move, sing and make the most use of sound, motion and color. The gravure model scene is … well, mostly filled with what appear to be physically challenged clothes-horses with wispy voices.

 

Nonetheless, a couple of Shokotan’s songs aren’t bad, and she is a dead ringer for Abe, at least in the video included in this report. The voice, though, is thin, and electronically zapped, a la Perfume. With a little more robust tone, Shokotan would make an above-average crooner. But it’s not one of her strong points so far.

 

 

Now, the blogging end of this is where facts start to fade into … well, hyperbole. Shokotan’s blog, which she started in 2004, received a reported “100 million hits” as of 2006 (but that seems to be an unsubstantiated estimate). But, most recently, a Japanese publication stated that Shokotan’s blog has received “more than a billion hits.” Yes, that’s “billion” with a “B.” Sounds more like “hype” with a capital “H.”

 

Hmm. Looking at her blog recently, it leads off with a half-dozen posts of her elaborate artificial fingernails. Uh … a billion hits, eh? Again, the lack of depth in the Japanese gravure-model world makes the whole thing frivolous. I’d mush rather see C-ute, Berryz Kobo or Morning Musume blast through an athletic rendition of one of Tsunku’s brassy, upbeat opuses rather than watch another boring idol “walk” and look good, without much else to go with it.

 

And if you’re squeamish, look out. Shokotan has a lot of icky close-up food pictures in the blog along with the myriad fingers. Yeesh. And, though my Kanji remains weak, the “writing” is brief and choppy. Subject matter is, well … light.

 

Shokotan's blog is here:  http://blog.excite.co.jp/shokotan/

 

Now, the good side to all this is that Shokotan would be marvelous fun to be with and is a very complex and intriguing personality. Her dad died when she was nine, so Shokotan’s perspective on life is likely much different than the average person’s. That she is so “otaku” is also a bright spot; frankly, as good as Hello Project’s performers are on stage, it is highly unlikely that Yossi, Reina, the two Sakis of Berryz and C-ute, Maimi, Risako, Risa and the rest of the gang would be that deep into the otaku thing.

 

And cosplay? Shokotan is reported to be an addict and collects outfits from all over. Hello Project’s singers have no need for cosplay. All they have to do is dress normally.

 

This is Radicalipton signing off – for now.