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Interestingly, "idol" in japanese also could be splitted up into "AI DORU or LOVE DOLL" (Japanese ai = love, doru = engrish "Doll") which IMO sums up the japanese female idol more than the actual "idol" word in english.
Ayu was an idol before she turned big. Idols aren't supposed to shine in any special area, they do a little bit of acting, some CMs, sings and models. Typically they're teenagers, sometimes very young. They don't neccessaarily have to have any formal training in the area they are working in either, a "cute face" goes a very long way. The packaging and personality are their main points of entertainment.
The comparison between BoA and Aya Matsuura is very interesting and I think it shows how important packaging is to determine the idol scene. Aya Matsuura had a very good voice, allthough I have no idea if she had any formal training. She debuted almost at the same age as BoA, still for some reason she's not called an "idol". If matsuura had been picked up by avex and BoA at hello Pro I think it would've been the other way around. H!P aims at the core audience of idols and churns out a whole lot of merchandise other than just music. Some of the girls aren't even releasing music at all, but still appears on shows and sells merchandise. Matsuura IMO Is much more of an "artist" than the most typical idols. THe most celebre archtype idol to me would have to be Aya Ueto.
If ayu was an aidoru or an artist when she debuted on avex is hard to tell IMO. Yes, she had some formal training, but she was still not on an artistic level in music or singing and a natural progress for her would've probably been more of a typical idol had it not been for her magnificent lyrics, later her ability to involve herself in the artistic aspects of music and visual arts.
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