The Curious Case of Mano Erina

By: The Incredible He-Hulk

Despite her Egg status, Mano Erina was immediatley given a prominent role in Ongaku Gatas. She quickly showed why she was allowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the veteran idols in the group, and in doing so hinted at bigger and better things to come. And so, it came as a suprise to no one when, a short time later, she debuted as a full-blown solo artist. What was surprising, however, was the way in which H!P chose to market Mano Erina. Three specific facets of her marketing stand out as highly unusual and are quite possibly destructive to the girl’s long-term success: The framing of her character, her availability to the fans, and the deployment of her wares.

Mano Erina can play piano. This in itself is not unusual. Humans possessing a modicum of talent that manifests itself in specific endeavors is nothing new. But, for the most part, when an idol shows talents, these gifts are presented as adjunct personal characteristics not as a part of her career, whether musical or not. They are things reserved for fan club events and are used as bullet points on some Wiki at the ends of the internet. They flesh out a girl’s personality and nothing more. But, in Mano’s case, her piano playing was used, at least early on, as the fundamental thrust of her promotion. An idol that can sit down and accompany herself on an instrument well enough to do so live is highly unusual, and so it was no surprise that all her Indy singles we’re piano heavy mid-tempo pieces. When something unusual is presented to us, often the reason we take notice is simply because it is an oddity. It becomes our focus, and so, piano became her gimmick.
Now, this is highly unusual. Most idols’ artifices are entirely based on their personalities. Tsugunaga Momoko’s idol persona, for instance, is a punch to the gut. She’s manic and emotional; because at her core she is those things, really and truly. In contrast, Mano is presented as a gentle caress of the face; reserved, but positive; warm and gentle. Her wardrobe is an outward reflection of this style and of her music; pastel, flower-patterned skirts, scarves, and conservative school uniforms. It is protective clothing; flattering, but unrevealing. She occasionally will appear in traditional idol garb, at concerts and in photo shoots where H!P doesn’t control what she wears, but when she is shot for promotion of one of her personal commodities (Singles, Albums, etc) she is most often the gentle, smiling girl. So, the question is whether or not her idol personality, as presented, is simply the only choice for a girl who plays mid-tempo piano pop, or whether it is truly who the girl really is? Is it a match made in heaven, the perfect joining of girl, musical style, and talent, or is it the end result of promoting the uniqueness of one specific talent ahead of the uniqueness of the girl and then finding yourself boxed in?

This style of promotion is called further into question when comparing it to the larger milieu of idol music. I don’t have to tell you, idol aficionado that you are, that this style of presentation is highly unusual, especially for a brand new idol. Frenzied and unerringly cute is where the money’s at. Explosive, up-tempo pop is what drives the wota to spend their filthy lucre. They want to lose themselves at concerts. They want to dance, and sing, and chant and flip out. They don’t want to sit there while a girl plays piano. Thus, no matter how great she is, her promotion has already trimmed off a large portion of the fanbase. There is a large segment of H!P fans that will never be moved by Mano. Their money will remain firmly entrenched in pocket.

Idol music is never about contrasts. They are simply too subtle, and the idol business has all the subtly of a hammer to the head. Yet, Mano further surprises by being the most accessible, visible, and hard-working idol in H!P’s stable. The 7-11 of idols, Mano is always open for business. Check your watch, it’s highly probable that she has two handshake events, a mini-live, and a TV show scheduled during the next 15 minutes. If you want to meet a Musume, shake her hand, and say a few words, good luck with that. You’ll have grandkids before you get to go to one of the handful of meet and greets they hold. But, if there’s anyone left on the planet that hasn’t spent an hour, or more, talking to Mano, I don’t know him. At first glance, this seems like a fantastic thing, I mean, who doesn’t want that? But, wota-ism has one axiom that its tenets hold above all: "support your idol absolutely and completely in every endeavor." Thus, constant promotion of this sort is actually a deadly error. It’s Chinese water torture for the fans, exhausting them with a constant barrage of places they have to be and things they have to buy. Mano’s outstretched hand is no longer a rare opportunity to greet your idol, it’s a demand for tribute.
I have talked to more than one Mano wota who has become disheartened by the constant amount of events she has and things she is doing. Gold is beautiful not because it sparkles, but because it sparkles for only a few. Its rarity is half of its appeal. Just as absence makes the heart grow fonder, constant availability bores and fatigues it.

And, just as the heart and mind may become immune to the siren song of a wota’s favorite idol, so too may his wallet be exhausted by the unfair demands of her management company. Since Mano transitioned to major label status she has had two releases since the end of March and her third single is less than a month away. Berryz has averaged 3 singles a year over the last few years, Mano is currently on pace for double that. That in itself would be a joy for any fan; to always have her idol working, but each single arrives with an unethical twist. As we all know, an idol fan is forced to buy every single version of his idol’s single, conditioned in the Pavlovian method as they are. Each Mano Erina release comes in no less than 5 different versions. Each slightly unique, each required to complete the wota’s vast collection. It is shameless beyond measure.

When all of this is considered, it seems clear that H!P has segmented her market, they have made it so many H!P wota will simply never be interested in her. What’s more, her constant availability has already created a degree of lethargy amongst the fans and even an apathy toward her events and appearances. Combine that with a vast over-saturation of her commercial goods –goods wota feel forced to buy—and in some circles this apathy begins to turn into hostility.

It will be truly interesting to see if H!P realizes what it is doing with Mano, and whether or not they have any interest in avoiding its inevitable result. A slight shift in her image is begining to be felt. Hopefully it will measure high enough on the Richter Scale to make a difference.