Shounen Hollywood and HANA-Doll*: Deconstructions of the Idol Genre.
I will begin with the more recent of the two titles.
HANA-Doll*, I've noticed as of late, has been lauded by its fandom for daring to show the darker sides of the idol industry, namely how idols can be exploited. Hence, the series is quite dark.
As for Shounen Hollywood, it features a realistic portrayal of idols. This includes showing the cons of being an idol and the unfairness one might encounter in the entertainment industry. In ShoHolly, no one is exploited, and although it can get quite dark because reality is bleak at times, it never got as dark as HD*.
I've always considered ShoHolly as the deconstruction of the idol genre because it showed the many harsh realities awaiting idols. Then HD* appeared, showing the one reality ShoHolly didn't—the exploitation of idols.
Did that mean ShoHolly failed to deconstruct the genre properly? Was HD* the true deconstruction for being darker than ShoHolly?
I mulled the above questions for a moment and realized the answer was no. Why? Because deconstruction isn't about making something darker. It's about doubting truth and reality, taking things seriously, and never taking anything for granted.
The reason why deconstructed works tend to be dark is because a lot of clichés in media glorify and romanticize dangerous scenarios. For example, the exciting events in an action movie would be very traumatizing if experienced for real, and romance stories are often filled with dubcon elements.
However, not every deconstruction has to be dark. It just has to be realistic, and ShoHolly is plenty realistic, which brings up another question—Is HD* realistic?
By the standards of reality, obviously not. Even if body modification can be symbolism for plastic surgery, plastic surgery doesn't improve an idol's singing or dancing. On the other hand, certain conflicts in HD* being organized by President Amagiri could be perceived as the micromanagement of idols for the company's benefit.
The fact that HD* dared to look past the glittery surface of the idol industry to reveal the shady happenings underneath supporting that surface is enough proof it is a deconstruction of the idol genre, except I feel very inclined to call it a dramatization of the genre, too, as so much that happens there is obviously due to the plot rather than because it could happen in real life.
Back to ShoHolly—Is it not realistic for showing no exploitation?
Well, first of all, there is a bit of exploitation. Episode 9 had the idols participating in embarrassing variety TV for promotion, with the producers of said variety TV calling the boys 'cheap'. It's just that the staff in Hollywood Tokyo never exploited Shounen Hollywood, unlike how Amagiri Production did to Anthos* and Loulou*di.
Furthermore, deconstruction is about never taking things for granted. Certain things don't just exist or happen. There are factors leading up to them.
The members of Shounen Hollywood never being horribly exploited is explained by Hollywood Tokyo being a small company founded on passion, with genuine belief in the power idols have and the good they can bring. Even though the idols do get micromanaged from time to time (i.e. not allowed to use the public restroom, constantly advised on the proper way to interact with fans, etc.), it's less because the staff is abusive but truly because that's the kind of effort expected from idols. Thus, as the staff, they have the responsibility to enforce those expectations. Sometimes, Tesshi micromanages for the boys' sakes, like how he makes sure to filter hate mail from the fan letters. Therefore, the lack of exploitation isn't unrealistic.
Meanwhile, Amagiri Production, a company that is definitely big and loaded, is so exploitative because President Amagiri wanted to profit from his idols and observe the flowers' affect on them.
In conclusion, Shounen Hollywood and HANA-Doll* deconstruct the idol genre from different angles; the former from a hopeful angle and the latter from an angsty angle, with both agreeing that reality can be pretty bleak.
