Most Genuine Idols in the 48Groups

I think it's clear that idols are not always showing their true personalities, expressing their true feelings, or revealing their true motives. But there are the handful of idols out there who seem to be very whole-hearted and well-intentioned.

I think the most genuine idol is Nishino Nanase. At times, I'm suspicious because the innocent image surrounding her always seems to be framed. But then I realize that even when she wasn't in the spotlight, she had an innocent kind-hearted aura. This has always drew me to Nanase.

Matsui Rena has also had a very honest presence, also, in my opinion.

Some other notable mentions are: Furuhata Nao, Yamamoto Sayaka, Kitahara Rie, Tanaka Miku, Takahashi Minami, Yokoyama Yui

On the other hand, there are lots of members that I'm suspicious about....

 

i think harukyan is a really genuine, thats one of the main reasons i like her so much
i think shiichan is pretty honest too, she doesnt get much of the spotlight but she hasn't given up, i admire that

who are the ones youre suspicious about though?? i'd like to hear why too

 

I felt Itano Tomomi was pretty genuine in her early years, I vaguely remember an interview I read (and this was around the time I wasn't a true fan yet), where she talked about how difficult it would be for most men to able to handle some of the AKB girls, lol. I'm assuming she was talking about top-tier members of the time (it might of been from 2010 or 2011) because she didn't give any examples. She described herself as more easy-going than many members she knew, in terms of needs. So I'm sure we have to separate them as idols primarily, because as people some are probably not so simple to relate with or understand.

I think many girls genuinely like their fans, want to be everything to them or at least build a relationship because that's what being an idol is about...with their own specialties and characteristics they portray that defines who they are to us. As people, a lot of us seem to want to know who they really are, but that doesn't always translate into a quality idol, because there is a balance that is required no matter how contrasting the two are. Paru's popularity is based on her salty persona which many believe to be real because of how blunt it is. She seems truthful, but still takes it to new heights that shows she probably exaggerates it a little more than she lets on at times. In person she sounds as if she doesn't hold back though, but on stage she fits in with the other girls for the most part.

If we were talking about well-intentioned idols who are sincere in their work, there's too many for me to pick from. The girls are casual on their social media and professional in person, or try to be. Dasu's passion for her fans really got me attached to her, but I also feel someone like Lemon is genuinely nice and really is who she appears to be on and off stage when I see her reactions. No one's perfect, so I look at a genuine idol as someone who is sincere about their job and has respect for it. That can be taken several ways though, because I also like Paru, lol.

 

Haha, I think I'd be hated on if I said something...

Obviously no member will act the same on stage/TV/in HS as they would in private. What concerns me is when a member's personality is completely different from what they show fans. I'm not sure if I'm expressing myself properly... But imagine if a member who acts very nice to you actually bad mouths you in private. That's a very unlikely example, but I'm not really sure how it put my feelings about what constitutes "genuine" into words

 

Come on you know this is the true intention behind making the thread

As someone mentioned, I found Rena to be super real, it was always funny how blunt she was about her indifference (and sometimes resentment) towards Jurina. I don't think it was mean spirited or anything though. Someone had called Katomina really fake in the ranking thread and I was trying to remember how she would come off that way and then I remembered her forced crying in the NGT shonichi haha. Honestly I'm understanding of that though. Everybody was bawling around her and I think she felt pressured not to break the stream of kawaii crying idols lmao, but it was cringe^^ Again, I still like Katomina a lot though.

Imo a big part of being an idol is meeting expectations put upon you, by mgm, the media, and of course the fans. I always respect how someone like Dasu goes out of her way to give her over the top super genki sweetness at handshake with her fans. Do I think she wakes up cartwheeling and crazy-smiling? No. But I don't think she's fake either. As @rka mentioned, Sae definitely has to force her high energy sometimes, but I know it's because she wants to make the people around her happy and keep a good atmosphere. Of course there's nothing wrong with being sick or overwhelmed either because they are human after all, but I respect when members try to put on a good face and make people feel good.

Sorry, I was typing my reply when this got posted. So it's not so much about putting on an idol persona so much as "hmm, I bet this member is really a b*tch!"? Haha

edit for a typo

 

Tricky question. Impossible answer (if you're not behind the scenes)

 

nah man it'd just be your opinions
also it'd be totally false if someone thought everyone is perfect/genuine ahaha
tell us
tbh i might even agree
laughs

 

Isn't Paruru's saltiness as real as it gets?

 

You kinda find a middle ground between that and those times she goes naturally dere. Usually, the salt's up to eleven.

 

I'm going to take a single pick, because she is a member that always stands out for me:

Takita Kayoko (Team A) is easily, one of the most ignored girls by management, who knows why. She has attractive looks, a good presence and very reliable in every unit she is allowed to perform too. Unfortunately, she is overtaken, even by unders who aren't even part of Team A at all.

But yet, no matter how much time she has on stage, she always give her 200%, was/is very active in Google Plus and responded fan comments, and you can always tell by her expression and aura she really enjoys being an idol. Kayoyon is a fan living her dream and taking every positive aspect from the experience.

 

I personally find Souda Sarina to genuinely like being an Idol, she described her becoming an Idol like an awakening to herself. Before this she was quiet and reserved and just had a vague idea of who she was. I feel that she enjoys every aspect of being an idol from the song to the anti's.

 

I always feel like Takayanagi is very genuine. It's hard to explain but I just don't think she fakes anything. Same with Furukawa back when she was a member.

i would answer momoka too because she always stays true to what she loves even though it's risky and i'm not saying that in a biased sense tbh

 

http://akbzine.com/2016/01/14/paruru-want-return-true-self/

I'm not sure how reliable this source is, but I've always felt she shows a different side to fellow members than to some of her fans. Maybe Paru just likes having some distance, which wouldn't be too unusual from what other celebrities or people with large followings wish for. Either way, that personal space has helped create her appeal hasn't it? Perhaps she enjoys some of the things she does with it, and I wouldn't doubt she's honest in a lot of what she says.

A person could really have fun with saying what they wanted, couldn't they? Especially if you had a license to do so as an idol.

I remember an episode of Minegishi's old show (with Terry and his lazy eye), where this guy wanted his girlfriend to get implants...for marriage I think. Everyone that was invited was pretty careful in their approach, but Paru flat out spoke against it, saying she would never marry or date someone who wanted something like that. I really liked seeing her response, it felt a bit refreshing that she was willing to be that honest and direct. I also remember another episode where she even cried over gravure idols losing work to AKB, which kind of surprised me.

It's about the challenge she creates in a lot of ways. I think her approach, in my personal opinion, is calculated at times but then kind of spontaneous in her own way with what she really thinks too.

I guess the first person I thought of was Paruru when I saw this thread, since that's an idol who is widely thought to show her true personality. Like anyone else...there's pieces, and probably showing more of what we want to see than the whole thing. I do feel she has changed a lot from when she first rose in popularity, kinda like how Mayu is today.

 

Actually if you watch Paru's earlier appearances on TV shows:

^that
My theory has always been that while she has the capability to act cutesy and friendly, her inability to due so and blatant awkwardness at handshake events caused her to do the same thing on TV. So a consistency thing, I guess.

The whole idea of enjoying to be an idol/loving the fans is so appealing to me. I completely get that vibe from Sally, and even though I'm not familiar with Takita Kayoko, every LOD I see she's smiling.

These members, when you think about it, are the most satisfied and therefore the most likely to be genuine. When members join AKB to get famous, make money, or because they're narcissistic is when I see a problem. The one exception I see is Momoka, who said she's an idol to make money but doesn't seem like she's not having fun in the process.

A lot of people ask me why I like (almost exclusively) newer members, and the reason is nothing more than the fact that they usually seem more appreciative than older members do.

I don't particularly see Churi as genuine, but Airi definitely is. She even got voted the nicest member in an AKB shirabe episode.

Paru purposefully being salty makes a lot of sense. Komiharu (allegedly) faked being Haraguro to gain popularity, I don't see why the same can't be true of Paru's saltiness.

Earlier I had trouble conveying what I meant by "genuine" but here are some questions I would consider before calling an idol genuine?
Would the idol in question treat the staff with respect (regardless of what her character is on variety, at HS etc.)?
Does the character have a completely different personality off stage? Of course the idol won't act the same in public or private, but the same applies to people in the real world in front of their boss or their friends. So a better question, I guess, is to what extent is the personality exaggerated/faked?
Is the idol appreciative of her fans?
Are the idol's motives self-centered, or humble? For example, if the idol joins the group for self-popularity she, in my book, would be less genuine than someone who joined the group for fans. My favorite idols have always been those who join "to make people happy," as fake as the statement might be.

 

@mieniem I agree! Sally is definitely very genuine and watch her performance makes me very happy.
There are idols who, while you can like them a lot, you can tell it's a character or something they assume - which is okay, because show business it not about show always who you really are, but both Sally and Kayoko give me the impression they are...I don't know: Natural Born Idols?

 

Mayo said something NG right there

 

So as genuine you mean "nice idol"? Then I guess Paruru has no business here lol
I understood the premise as "the least fake"idol, hence why I think Paruru wins by a landslide there.

Mayu, Yukirin and Sakura might be the idolest of them all, but damn they're fake af.

Imo, of course.

 

Everytime I saw paruru in the old era, I don't see her as salt person , rather she like mayuyu in her first time . So I wonder what brings up her salt chara, I remember her as ponkotsu,
btw i think there are many member that become their fake chara for real , so it's hard to see that unless we are behind the scenes people
For me the genuine member mostly the old gen idk just feeling they aren't lie , and for now someone like rie,sayanee,yuihan or momoka

 

The thing about human is that no one is one dimensional. As much as an idol can fake a chara, I think to a certain extent it's a part of them (although exaggerated), and therefore genuine.
Vice versa. We might see Paruru being all salty and not idol like and think that it's her genuine reaction, but it doesn't mean she doesn't have that very special sweet spot where she can be all lovey dovey and idol-like (though if this ever happens people might think she was faking it)

Being an idol is quite similar to being an actress, there can't possibly be such thing as pure genuine. Though if an idol can convince you that she is genuine, I suppose it's either because she is truly genuine (which no one can prove), or she's one hell of a good actress (or hardworker) to make you believe so

 

Yamada Nanami (Team 8)