Tokyo Idols

An eye-opening delve into the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of ‘idols’, the thousands of teenage Japanese girls who favour manga-style attire and sell themselves as pop stars – both live and on-line – and the largely middle-aged men – or ‘otaku’ as they are known – who obsessively follow them around and pay to have their photos taken with them. Kyoko Miyake’s striking film is non-judgmental in its wry approach, and while some of the men’s obsession with the very young idols is disturbing, the lines are never crossed and sex is never mentioned, despite being the subtext. 

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