With an hour before MSSL about to start, my mind is already thinking I'm not ready for MSSL yet.
Either that...or, in the context of this thread - I'm not sure what the future of J-pop looks like.
I mean, there's barely no more Ayu on TV performances. Not even MSSL. Or the Kouhaku. And I am sometimes questioning the viability of idol groups, such as AKB48 and Johnny's.
The reason why I got interested in J-pop all started with Ayumi Hamasaki. Then I expanded further with Johnny's artists, AKB48, and even the surprise Sayuri Sugawara. But these days, I have to wonder what has been going on recently with the world of Japanese music - and things haven't been positive... I mean, the TV ratings have been down for major shows (especially year-end), and then SMAP is about to disband in a week - Japanese music is not the same as ten years ago when I started getting interested in 2006.
It seems like I really miss those old days. I don't think AKB, Nogizaka and even Keyakizaka isn't going to help very much in the long run. Or even miwa, IMO. So who's going to be the next great artist that isn't an AKB, Johnny's or some idol group? Who's the next Ayumi Hamasaki, Utada, Ayaka or something? I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel yet...we might be far ways off from that kind of a thing. Something has got to change in the Japanese music scene before the 2020 Olympics come...
Also blame YouTube Red for limiting our choices of J-pop in the USA. Once used to be able to see it, it's been a year since they launched it, and I'm still unable to watch short clips from artists from Victor (e.g. Leo Ieiri), Pony Canyon (Rina Katahira), Being group (B'z, BREAKERZ, and even Honey Bee-associated girl artists Chelsy and Lily's Blow recently), and even Sony (SCANDAL, etc., but even then most of Sony videos are blocked outside of Japan before YouTube Red rolled in)...it's pretty much a mix of issues that have made me lose interest in J-pop at times.