Smappies

Yokatta! I've been so worried about him lately...He seems skinnier ever since he's shooting Bushi no Ichibun...

:shocked: what? what? what happened to takuya? oo my... i always saying that i love SMAP but i haven't notice on this matter!!..... :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

so, now he's ok, deshou? i hope there will no bad things happen to any of those our beloved guys..... :sweat:

Ya, he's OK now.. and he has lost 3 kgs after shooting mushi no ichibun... :puppydog:

sahabat9 wrote::shocked: what? what? what happened to takuya? oo my... i always saying that i love SMAP but i haven't notice on this matter!!..... :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

so, now he's ok, deshou? i hope there will no bad things happen to any of those our beloved guys..... :sweat:

I heard that a Taiwanese group 5566 wanna create a baseball group and wants SMAP to join... Huh??? A kinda boring... :fingerscrossed:

Oh god no way. I hope SMAP rejects the invitation. I want SMAP to have nothing to do with 5566, seriously. Since I first heard of 5566, I had a very very bad impreesion on them. They copied everything from SMAP and call themselves the heavenly band of Asia :usuck: . And especially their managment company who basically is a carbon copy of Johnny's. I really hope this is no true. 5566 does not deserve to be performing or doing anyting together with SMAP simply because they are not worth it. They are no way as talented as SMAP or any other Johnny's group. They are way overated. And I don't understand those fangirls that idolise them? SMAPxELAINE, is there an article of this rumour?

131172 wrote:Oh god no way. I hope SMAP rejects the invitation. I want SMAP to have nothing to do with 5566, seriously. Since I first heard of 5566, I had a very very bad impreesion on them. They copied everything from SMAP and call themselves the heavenly band of Asia :usuck: . And especially their managment company who basically is a carbon copy of Johnny's. I really hope this is no true. 5566 does not deserve to be performing or doing anyting together with SMAP simply because they are not worth it. They are no way as talented as SMAP or any other Johnny's group. They are way overated. And I don't understand those fangirls that idolise them? SMAPxELAINE, is there an article of this rumour?

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/060515/19/3506e.html

I saw it there...

Ya, 131172, I agree with your words. The first time when they r just out, they say they wanna be the second SMAP. The first impression when I heard this is wanna vomit. If they din say wanna be the 2nd SMAP maybe I wont hate them..

They r just a photocopy machine. They copy Nakai-kun's style of host, dunno how to say, but just think like they r copyingc

Years ago, 5566 have a single (I 4got the title), copied SMAP [Lion Heart] cover.. :beatyou: :metaldevil: :usuck:

Please stop copying SMAP...

What's the problem with that? Let them copy all they like, they first have to get better. I mean, a copy can only be dangerous if it's better than the original, yes? Otherwise, the ones who copy just make themselves look like... well, "cheap copies" and are laughing stock.

Well if they don't blatantly copy others people works and ideas, I would have more respect for Taiwanese entertainment. Their copying wasy are just so obvious, ugly and crappier than the original. And how they respond to copying accusations made me even more piss with them. For example the issue of the "Lion Heart" cover, they said that by using SMAP cover, they could somehow help to promote and made more people aware of SMAP in Taiwan :banghead: . Especially the 5566 company that keeps on copying Johnny's ideas. Few example are they have their sports event which obviously is copied from Johnny's traditional sports event. Also I saw on TV that in one of their performance, they have a stage which is just like that stage from Johnny's countdown concert last year. There is many other more. It is ok that you to look at others people works for reference and inspiration but just balantly copying is really unacceptable reqardless of what you are doing.

SMAPxELAINE, I saw the article already and they didn't actually contact SMAP directly but only express their hope to invite SMAP through a Japan magazine. I hope the magazine don't contact SMAP reqarding this.

Ah, I don't need to tell you how often SMAP blantantly copies others? Or how often other groups of Johnny's copy SMAP, and don't even credit them for it?
At least those Taiwanese guys admit to it... wether it's really stealing or a "hommage" is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. I mean, otherwise, Johnny's entertainment would be at their throat for stealing, yes? Since copyright and trademark laws do apply in Taiwant, too.

Can u give me a few example of SMAP copying others? It is normal for other Johnny's group to use SMAP ideas cause they are under the same company and creative management. I am not sure bout copyrights laws. But you don't expect Johnny's to copyright a sport's event, variety show ideas or stage designs right. Reqarding the Lion Heart cover I don't think there is any copyrights for a cover design also. I have been following Jpop for about 10 years and I as a Chinese see mostly chinese entertainment on my TV. I have to say many Taiwan shows, style and music are influence by Jpop. That a more prominent copying by the Taiwanese artistes but I won't elaborate more to avoid any arguement.

Well, perhaps you start out with SMAP being a copy of the successful "Hakari Genji" model.
Many of the SMAP-stage designs look like something borrowed from a Vegas stage. The idea of selling your own drink (or other merchandise) with the CD isn't new, either.
And they even take songs from other singers: The 2001 SMAP Live concerts included, for instance, SMAP's own interpretations of James Brown's "Living in America" retitled "Living in the World Japan," a remix of "Staying Alive," the theme song from the 1970s hit movie Saturday Night Fever (in Japanese). Granted, they probably paid royalties to be allowed to ing those songs, but it's nothing original, merely covered.

As for copyright laws, yes they do apply, and you can bet your grandchildren on it that Johnny's owns the trademarks for SMAP and everything SMAP-related. (I'm not quite sure about the artist names, but as far as I've heard, Johnny's own even them.
Also, if you go by the argument that it's okay for Johnny's to create groups by the using the same scheme over and over again, then each group is exchangable. SMAP, KAT-TUN, ARASHI... it doesn't matter in the end because if Johnny's decide tomorrow for KAT-TUN to only sing songs tailored for SMAP, then what?

Singing other singer songs in a concert is normal in concerts everywhere. But releasing covered songs regularly show the lack of good composers in the their industry when they mostly use foreign songs,http://www.geocities.jp/minstrel287/coversong/index.html. In some cases, they just steal the songs which is even more wrong. You may feel that many SMAP stages are borrow from Vegas stage but can u give me a direct comparison. I already said that is justifable to study others and learn or improve from it. If you that a look at Japan music shows stage(Music Station,Utaban etc), u can know how nice and creative their stage are done. As for copyright laws, maybe Johnny's have rights to "Johnny's Sport Event" as in show names but certainly not a stage design,their artist playing sports and generally any gimmicks. What I say is that they always use Johnny's idea or gimmicks. When you said same scheme what do you mean? Cause in terms of music, most of the current group have different style of music. And it is normal for a Johnny's artisted to be able to sing, act, dance, host and have their own variety show. Basically all Johnny's artistes are trained from young to be multi-talented. And can u elaborate why SMAP is a copy of "Hikari Genji".
Hikaru Genji was insanely famous in their early years due to their skating gimmicks but as the craze faded, they met the imminent fate of disbanding.

I really don't want to argue with you, but frankly said, it seems to me that you measure with two measures here. It's fine for SMAP to copy other singers songs, but when another band copies SMAP's style (not even the songs themselves) that is a bad thing. When SMAP uses designs seen on other stages (and SORRY, but I don't have photo shots of the stage in question), and be "inspired" by them, then that's fine, but beware if another band feels "inspired" by them - as long as they aren't Johnny's, then it's fine because it's one mold anyway.
As for SMAP being modelled after Hikari Genji - yes, Johnny's used the same model on them than nowadays on Kat-tun, ARASHI and NEWs. Basically, they are all carbon copies of each other, with the only difference being the distinctive members personalities. Even the looks are similar in many cases (as similar as you can get with two individuals).
As for stage and cover designs, as with all other designs, it belongs to the designer - or whoever the designer has designed it for. And I'm 100% certain that no matter how much of a similarity there is between 5566 and SMAP designs, they must be different enough to not get 5566 into trouble with Johnny's.

I repeat what I said before - a copy will always stay a "cheap copy". Only when the "copy" gets better than the original - like, say, SMAP clearly won out against Hikari Genji, right? - then there might be trouble. And the current discussion about 5566 and SMAP does mostly one thing - make sure that a lot of people will go and find out who that SMAP-group is, if they don't already know them. It's called "free publicity". In the end, all that counts is success.

BTW, you might find this page interesting: http://www.electronicweekly.co.uk/tv/japanese_tv_program.html

So, from my part, I'll finish my input on this particular question. Take care and don't forget to listen to the right band, yes? :)

I still don't totally agree with you but I guess there is no point in carrying on this agruement since we have such distinctive views. I hope you don't too upset or work up over it :). Anyway do you like Takashi Sorimachi? He was once a member of Johnny's Junior in his younger years.

Gomen, I was watching the news and recaps about Cannes, but no Shingo to be seen~ :sweat:

131172 wrote:Anyway do you like Takashi Sorimachi? He was once a member of Johnny's Junior in his younger years.

OMG REALLY?!!??!!

There is a news from Japan on Shingo trip to cannes. Looks like he is having a good time :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nEEHAPP_1o&search=smap

And yes, Takashi Sorimachi use to be in Johnny's but left sometime in the early 90s. I don't know the reason he left though. He was in the same period as SMAP during their juniors years. Also Takashi Sorimachi was not his real name, his real name is –ìŒû—²Žj(Takashi Noguchi). I found this photo when he was still in Johnny's. Can you spot him? It took me a second glance to recognize him. Ha.

[image]

Yeah! 131172 & kanshu. I agree with some of ur points. But I just dun like 5566 keep saying they r the second SMAP.

Singing other singers song in a concert is just normal, like in NHK there is a TV show call THE SHONEN CLUB, all the johnny's junior alwayz sang their SENPAI's song alsoc Coz they r in the same companyc

Yeah I wonder y there is no news regarding Shingo in Cannes in TV. A week oredic Is it due to copyright oso?

Anyone notice that 5566 have a song D‹v•sŒ©, the Tic-Tac dance. Actually it had been performed by Tsuyoshi in 2003 MIJ concert oredic

Sorry I din mean to say anything bad bout them, but I just don wan 5566 have any relations wit SMAPc