VII. A GUIDE TO IDOLS [on-going wip]

[Rinko Shiraishi]

a guide to idols

written and compiled by Matcha

I am making this because I am a stickler for accuracy. While as a roleplay site it is expected to embellish, I like to be as fairly-to-very realistic as possible, so I am sharing the information I learnt while researching idols in Japan -- in other countries, idols are different and there may be a few comparisons so we don't get mixed up.

Disclaimer: this is merely a guide; it will be continuously updated, and obviously I'm not researching every group out there to analyse the data. I do not claim to know everything. There will be a bias towards female groups; male groups aren't completely the same as girl groups, and seem to be less common. I will also be using a lot of info from AKB48/other 48 groups, but not exclusively. I will source as much as I can unless I gathered it personally because I have a friend who's also an idol in Japan, have talked to people in Japan about idols as well, read blogs on Ameblo, or it's common idol knowledge. Otherwise, there may be some inferences, but I won't be putting wild theories in here.

In any case, for purposes of Akiba Idol Project, I hope this will still serve you well and give more insight into a small part the Japanese idol world.

If you have any information that could be added or want to see anything specific or want to fight me on something correct something (please give me a source), please send me a message, or post on the cbox if you see me online! I'm obviously still in the process of writing this in my spare time so please don't post here for the time being.

I always want to improve this guide, so let's learn together. ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ♪

table of contents

(thus far)

PART ONE: the road to an idol

1. auditions
   
2. training
       a. trainees
3. debut
4. notes

PART TWO: idol life

1. contact information
2. diets
3. living
4. production
5. variety shows
6. possible/future segments

PART THREE: fanbase and the public

1. public
       a. outside advertising
       b. magazines
   
2. real-life interactions
       a. concerts
       b. theatre tickets
       c. handshake tickets            
   
3. online interactions
4. fan demographics
       a. international
   
5. merchandise
6. controversies 
7. misc

PART FOUR: the business side

1. earnings
2. staff
       a. producers
       b. managers
       c. others
   
3. talent agencies
4. misc

PART FIVE: gallery
PART SIX: glossary

[Rinko Shiraishi]

the road to an idol

i. auditions

Idols are chosen by auditions. You may be scouted, but you still need to make it through the audition process. Companies generally have deadlines for applications and/or will only hold auditions at certain times a year. You can apply by online forms or physical mail.

I will talk about this section using these as examples (Google Translate works okay):

P.IDL form
AliceProject auditions
AKB48 Team 8 audition (archive)
Johnny's audition information

From these, we can see that there are certain age groups they're looking for -- from all of them, 10 is the youngest, 25 the oldest. You will need parental consent if you are under 20 (or 15 according to AKB). Given this site though, it seems unlikely that your character would debut at 20+.

The forms vary, but they will always ask for at least two photos: one front shot of your face and one of your whole body. Previous experience in entertainment usually isn't required, but they may ask to list anything you've done. Some experience I've seen were modelling, acting as a child star, and music/singing competitions.

It's important to note that not all groups will only look for people who are good at singing and/or dancing. Sometimes it's more about the potential a person might have, with the intention that over time as an idol, they will improve. Afternoon Delight and sheeP are most likely not to follow this model.

The audition happens in stages:

• First stage: you get contacted from your application.
• Second stage: you are interviewed. This is where you introduce yourself, make an impression. They may ask about your other skills and interests.
• Third stage: practical exam for dance and vocals. You may be given a certain dance or song to perform; for example, the AKB48 Team 8 audition says that applicants must dance to "Aitakatta", but may choose whatever song to sing.
• Fourth stage: another interview; sucessful candiates notified. You will then be placed in idol training!
  
  

This does not happen for all groups, but sometimes after the third stage the candidates will be shown online and the public can vote for who they would like to see in the group (this was in the case of P.IDL).

ii. training
Information is gathered from AKB48 training dates/my friend/common idol knowledge.

For female groups, the training period usually lasts for a few months to a year and a few months to even two years, but it seems like a very rare case if it takes that long. Probably at the end of the day, some trainees will keep being trainees until a full-fledged member has graduated, freeing up a spot on the roster. I've heard -- and and don't hold me to this until I can double-check this -- that male groups train longer, so the members tend to be older than their female counterparts, and apparently sometimes they don't even debut.

What is certain, though, is that training days are long: my friend said she'd do 10 hour dance lessons, and it seemed to be for days straight. Some trainees may drop from the idol group at this stage or even soon after debuting.

For reference, in real life, male groups don't have graduation systems and stay together, like any other band (and not all female groups have graduation styems either). However, members may leave. I've heard of members leaving by force because of scandals and/or to persue a solo career. For an example, refer to Akanishi Jin of KAT-TUN.

Other than singing and dancing (though these are main points), idols will also be trained in acting and modelling; idol groups may have drama shows, and groups and/or individual idols may have to endorse products.

    a. trainees

Trainees may still perform; AKB48's trainees have performances at their theatre just for them. They still get paid for their performances, but it is significantly less than full-fledged idols. They also fill in for absent members at events. While they would not make regular appearances, they may also appear on television programs. In some cases trainees may even get to record a small part of B-side songs on singles. For example, Yuudachi no Mae by SKE48 is performed completely by trainees. Unlike songs by regular members, nobody takes the centre/lead position(s).

Apparently, since the 8th generation, trainees were not allowed to receive presents from fans until they are assigned a team. 

iii. debut

I still need more info on this, but here's some notes for reference:

New idol groups may go down to Akihabara (or maybe other districts, but I'm not sure) to hand out flyers to promote events, including their debut concert. I have a sense that only female groups do this, though. Likely the only group still doing this would be sheeP, though perhaps characters in other groups may think of how their predecessors may have done this before when the group was starting up. Here's a P.IDL flyer held by one of the trainee team members, Morita Saaya.

When P.IDL debuted, their concert was livestreamed on FC2. It included MC times for each of their four groups, and the performance of their new single -- four times, if I'm not mistaken. If you reserved one of the CDs of their single, you were allowed to shake the hands of all the members of the team of your choosing. The admission was free.

I've heard of new members debuting in established groups at concerts with handshake events as well.

iv. notes

Different idol groups have different styles and concepts. For example, AKB48 and the other 48 groups' "idols you can meet" concept, where fans can see the group perform live on a daily basis in their own theatre, is different than the groups seen mainly on television and have occasional concerts, such as older groups like Morning Musume. Momoiro Clover Z's slogan is "Idols you can meet right now", as they used to be a street act, though I think their performances are more conventional now. Idoling!!!'s concept is for fans to watch them grow as idols on television. P.IDL's concept is to work part-time (at their cafe) while being an idol.

Of course, they are also different on an aesthetic level. Some groups like Morning Musume and AKB48/the 48 groups have a lot of uniforms similar to school uniforms; they do a lot of gravure shoots. Momoiro Clover Z's uniforms are more costume-y and theatrical, Perfume's uniforms are stylish and more mature, and both of these group don't do gravure like the previous groups. A lot of male groups just look stylish and cool, and outfits may range to suits to casual attire. Refer to groups like Arashi, KAT-TUN, and SMAP (they're not an idol group, but EXILE is good to look up as a group that often wear suits).

My point is: pay close attention to the description of your idol group. Their look, their music, their dance moves, their entire public image, etc, will be different from the other groups. They will attract different sorts of people. Take their traits and run with it. It's a mistake to lump all idol groups together.

[Rinko Shiraishi]

idol life

I would like to get as much information about this section as possible. Here's what I have so far until I get this organised due to overlap with other sections:

i. contact information

Before or soon after your debut, your personal blog, Facebook, LINE account, etc., must be deleted as you will be required to have "official" accounts connected to your group. Apparently you may be able to keep your initial Twitter, Instagram, or other social media accounts and turn it into your official idol accounts, but it's most likely going to have to be cleared out for idol use. People can and will dig up your old posts for any dirt you've left behind, so be careful.

Actual use of these accounts will be covered in the fanbase section.

ii. diets

I do not know of any "fixed" diet plans for groups or individuals; however, I've heard from my friend that their managers buy them a lot of junk food; much of the calories will be worked off from training and practises. Note that if an idol is heavier, they will be teased about it -- refer to AKB48's Noro Kayo in their variety show AKBINGO!, though it's not uncommon to do in many Asian cultures. There is a new group called Chubbiness that features heavier girls, but it's not very common to have many or any idols who weigh much more than average in most groups.

In any case, if the manager thinks an idol should lose weight or if the idol themselves thinks the same, we'll leave the potential diet plan to them.

Something to note as well is that the measurements of some idols (probably only female and more likely the ones who do gravure, I'm assuming) are released publicly. If you're part of these groups and were hoping to keep these numbers secret, say bye-bye to another piece of privacy.

iii. living

Idols may live at home or on their own. They can still attend normal school. It does not seem common to drop out of school, but Kojima Haruna of AKB48 dropped out of school at 16 since her school did not allow for students to work in the entertainment industry. Shibata Aya from SKE48 also attended a school which forbade entertainment industry work, but she still performed in her team's debut. According to Stage48, her punishment was volunteer work, an essay, and extra tests to graduate because her grad and college recommendations were put on hold.

Conversely, young idols may graduate from their group while still in high school to concentrate on their schoolwork.

iv. production

As far as I can tell, idols generally do not have a hand in the production of their lyrics, music, videos, etc. For one of their singles, though, each of P.IDL's groups were allowed to choreograph their own dances, but I don't believe it's common to do this at all. Of course, if members have trademark dance moves or special skills, I don't see why they wouldn't be used in performances. Refer to Momoiro Clover Z's Momota Kanako and her trademark shrimp jump.

AKB48 also has an Art Club within the group where club members design CD covers, costumes, posters, and possibly pieces that could be used for merchandise, though of course not everything would be brought to the production stage.

I've also heard of instances where idols will be handed music and lyrics just days before the song recording. I'm guessing this doesn't happen much, but it implies long practise sessions during a short time span, demanding hard work and fast learning.

v. variety shows

Idol groups often have at least one dedicated television show. Examples include but are definitely not limited to AKB's AKBINGO! and Nemousu TV, Arashi's Arashi ni Shiyagare, Idoling!!!'s self-titled program, Perfume's Perfume no Chandelier House, on and on. Using AKBINGO! as the example, the segments on these shows range from competitive activites such as cooking competitions, fashion shows, language lessons, and quiz games. They may also showcase talents and stories about the idol's personal lives; there is even a regular segment where players are hooked up to a lie detector as they have to answer personal questions.

However! This description provides only a thin example of variety shows, so I highly recommend you watch a few episodes or at least clips from AKBINGO! (playlist) or a show of another idol group you like.

Groups will also have radio shows, but I don't have any detailed info about that right now -- I will update when I can.

vi. possible/future segments

Practice sessions, recording sessions, scheduling...

[Rinko Shiraishi]

the fanbase and public

There's a lot of information here, and probably not enough.

i. public

Even if you do not like idols and/or do not care about them, they are unavoidable, depending on their popularity. Groups and/or individuals may have endorsement deals, and their music is probably used in stores as well, considering their fame. Check the Oricon rankings and see how many idol groups are on top! There's also an English translation for weekly rankings.

Depending on the group, only a few members may be well-known to the public -- for example, though AKB48 is popular, they currently have 140 members as of April 30th/'14, and there is no way every single one of them will have the same exposure. The leaders, soloists, and popular regular members are usually going to be the only ones who will do solo endorsement deals. As a result, they'll be the members most known to the public.

Check this article (written in 2012) with the ranking of top celebrities in Japan with endorsements/commercials. Features idols from AKB48, Arashi, SMAP, TOKIO, and V6. Along with other talents like actors/models/singer, child star Ashida Mana (aka little Mako Mori) ranked 3rd. While idols seem to dominate, there's a lot of endorsements by others. I think there's a lot of stuff endorsed by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu as well. Examples of ads:

Kitahara Rie x Eye Talk Eyedol Debut
Itano Tomomi x Samantha Vega

There are also group collaborations. For example, Momoiro Clover Z have collaborated for some clothing at Galaxxxy; Kasai Tomomi, Kojima Haruna, and Oshima Yuko from AKB48 modelled for lingerie store Peach John.

Momoiro Clover Z x Lotte
Momoiro Clover Z x NHK's x "Aki Navi" program
AKB48's infamous Puccho ad

    a. outside advertising

This tag featuring Tower Records in Shibuya is worth checking! Even looking through TokyoFashion's blogs and flickr, you can see a lot of different advertisements.

Truck/ads in Harajuku/Shibuya:
9Nine, AKB48, AKB48/Vocaloid, Idoling!!!, Milky Bunny/Masuwaka Tsubasa (not an idol), SMAP, TRF

And non-idol talents, just for example:
Amoyamo, Amuro Namie, Big Bang, Kuraki Mai, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, One Direction (for good measure!)

    b. magazines

Check this thread for a look into how AKB48 is presented in Ribon, a shoujo manga magazine targeted to girls around 10-14. I will put up a few more personal images of idol spottings in fashion magazines once I can photograph them. More than anything informative, this section is just a gallery, haha.

ii. real-life interactions

    a. concerts

Most performances will likely be lip synced for all or the most part. Check this article about lip syncing in Japan. If there is some actual singing, I'm guessing the strongest singers have their mic volume higher than the others.

There are groups that really do sing live for all or for the most part. Groups like Morning Musume and Momoiro Clover Z are known for singing live in whole or in part.

Solo or acoustic songs may also be sung live for any group. Examples:
AKB: Oshima Yuko, Takahashi Minami, Group

Morning Musume
Momoiro Clover Z: live vs record

I want to write about Tokyo Dome, but we'll see how much information comes out of my research later.

    b. theatre tickets

This will only apply to GEM247 members as they're using the AKB/48 group model. This is the theatre which is open almost every day, and each team rotates. There are only 250 seats in the theatre, and since they're so popular, you'll probably be waitlisted for tickets and you'll be able to recieve them though a lottery. In-depth guide here because I don't want to write it all down haha.

Here are their ticket prices. Note that tickets for men are the most expensive, and it's 1000 less yen for women and elementary-high school students. Preschoolers are free. I'm guessing that it's because most of the ticket sales go to men.

    c. handshake events

To be updated. Here's an in-depth handshake guide for AKB48. 

One way fans can attend handshake events is to buy single CDs, which may include a ticket to the events. This results in some fans buying multiple copies so they can shake the hands of multiple idols or to possibly have a longer time limit. I've seen videos of AKB48 handshake events in another Asian country, and there was security moving the fans along -- you only have a few seconds to shake their hands, then move on.

There are different sorts of handshake events, so at some you wouldn't be as rushed and you may be able to get more than a "hello" to say to your idol. I'm assuming that for less popular groups you'll probably have more time too, depending on the queue.

It's important to note that these events can also be dangerous. Refer to the recent attack of Kawaei Rina and Anna Iriyama, who were attacked by a man with a saw at a handshake event. 

Also, creepy fans exist. 

iii. online interactions

Back to the use of your social media accounts: as always, not all groups are the same, but I think for many recent groups, keeping a blog/Instagram/Twitter etc. is a popular thing to do to keep fans informed and to allow them to interact with you. Idols may even be required to have a blog. The frequency of updates seems to differ, but managers may ask idols to update their blogs if they haven't been posted in for a while. Ameblo is a popular blogging service in general, and many use it for their blogs, celebrity or idol or not. You'll get a green "offical blogger" over your profile photo on your blog. Also, Google+ is popular amongst AKB48/48 group members.

Generally, idols cannot comment back to everything they are sent, as a rule of the agencies. There are some cases where the idol can retweet the question and answer them in a separate tweet, or do a round-up of questions asked on their blog to be answered in a separate post/section dedicated to answers. There also seems to be periods of time where they can answer questions on Twitter. I'm not sure how rigid these rules are, and I might have seen some direct interactions on Twitter and Google+, but it seems to be rare in any case.

Take lots of selfies and pictures in general! You'll know what I mean if you check idol or celebrity blogs/social media accounts in general. Blog examples:

Oshima Yuko - former AKB48 member, pretty much always in the top 8 Ameblo ranking
Mori Kanon (Alice Project)
no3b group blog - AKB48 subunit
Tamai Shiori (Momoiro Clover Z)
Tia Ell (P.IDL)

Blog dedicated to translating some 48 group blogs

iv. fan demographics

The first point I want to make about the fan demographics for idol groups within Japan is that they differ from group to group. Do not make the assumption that fans of any female idol group will be 95% male. This refers back to the notes section of the first part of the guide. Do not group them together.

Let's take a look at demographic charts for AKB48 in 2010/2011:



Sources: 1 and 2

Don't forget that some idols were/are idol fans themselves, too. As a bonus, check out Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's (who is not an idol) bathroom, featuring AKB48 and Momiro Clover Z. (source)



I asked a friend in Japan if AKB48 was popular amongst girls and she said that half her school likes them. She goes to an all-girl school. Female idols are discussed on Girls Channel, a textboard for female users (interestingly, at the time of this writing, the most popular topic was about not being interested in AKB but liking certain individual members). I've read blogs of teachers in Japan that mention hearing boys and girls talking about AKB. Perhaps it is mostly male fans who purchase merchandise other than CDs and buy the tickets for AKB shows, making them more "visible" fans.

It's my theory that some of the people in groups outside the targeted demographics only or mostly prioritise the group's music versus individual idols, their performances, shows, stuff like that. After all, girls like the music of non-idol female performers and boys like non-idol male performers, so why can't it be the same for idol music?

For a contrast to AKB, compare Perfume's fan demographic, which is nearly split equally between male and female. They are a completely different genre to AKB, but they are still idols (though I think they sort of cross into artist territory as well). A member of the group, A-Chan, says:

"Foreigners tend to categorize Japanese idol groups (like AKB48) and us as belonging to the same ‘female’ group of acts, but in Japan we are in a completely different genre. We've been singing techno and dancing as Perfume for over ten years now, spending most of our younger days devoted to it, but now we are finally being introduced in more mature magazines. We have no intention of comparing ourselves to other groups. We (only) think about how we can make things interesting."

Links of interest:
Who are AKB48 fans?
2012 was disordered, 2013 may well be too (survey was 50:50 male:female; note Q2)
How Japanese schoolgirls wish a Happy New Year (note Q2; AKB ranks #4)

Liiiiiike I don't really think I need to put more in here for the time being, but the important thing is, just don't assume too hard about fans.

    a. international

Since it's Asia, the music would be most distributed around Asia. I'm from a part of Canada where there's a lot of Asian people and speciality stores for various Asian merchandise, but in a standard North American record store, I've only ever seen Utada Hikaru's CD years ago when she had a rise in popularity over here in North America. I'm guessing her songs in Kingdom Hearts helped, though she is also American and maybe that CD I saw was her English-language album.

Here's some screenshots from a video about the formation of AKB48 sister group JKT48.  On a global scale outside of just Asia, I also think K-Pop is more popular, especially given their marketing and the fact that idols are taught languages during their training -- there are English/Japanese versions of K-Pop songs originally sung in Korean.




In real life I have seen a few celebrity posters, the boxes holding the Puccho with AKB48 pictures and junk food with Korean celebrity endorsements on them, etc etc, but it's not equivalent to seeing a truck with a One Direction ad on it in Japan or other Western artists and albums being reviewed in Japanese magazines and whatnot. Really, I'm sure Western artists are more popular in Asia than vice-versa, just given the forces of Hollywood and mainstream (American) music.

As for gendered demographics, I don't have any solid charts for you and it's hard to go by with just the internet, but I have a feeling that there are lots of female fans for the female groups as well; it's diverse.

v. merchandise

In Japan, there are still a lot of CD sales, unlike over here in North America, where several stores had to shut down. The album packaging can get pretty elaborate too, and sometimes there are poster inserts or stickers included. Here's a guide to supporting Perfume, but it can obviously be applied to any group. 

Non-music related merchandise/goods can be pretty much anything: bags, clothing, keychains, mousepads, photobooks, straps, stationery, towels, travel mugs, umbrellas, etc. Trading cards and normal photos and posters are also common, of course. Shop examples:

AKB48 Cafe (English) with themed food and video viewing
AKB48 Cafe Shop
Johnny's Shop - no official online shop, but for reference
Momoiro Clover official goods
Stardust (agency shop)
ASMART - carries Perfume, Babymetal, and various other musicians

Note that not every piece of merchandise will be available for every member. The most popular members will of course have more products available; new and less popular members will have less. Things like oshimen towels, trading cards, keychains, various stationery, etc. are widely available for each member, but some members may have multiple designs for the same product. Photobooks are definitely a product reserved for the most popular members only, and the same goes for more "obscure" things such as (but not limited to) bags, cookies, and cups seem to fall under the same rules. For examples, check the AKB48 Cafe Shop and compare the products available amongst various members (ex.Takahashi Minami and Watanabe Mayu vs Fukuoka Seina and Kizaki Yuria).

vi. controversies

There's a lot to write here. For now, have some links:

AKB scandal flashback 
AKB48's members talk about each other's scandals
Akanishi Jin
Minegishi Minami's head shaving 

Lots of AKB here, but seriously, try typing in any idol group + scandal and something will probably come up.

vii. misc

Check out the goo ranking for the question "what caused you to wander away from the idol you like?" The first few results (excluding the #1 answer, which is finding a different interest):

- I fell in love with a different idol
- The songs were no longer the kind I liked
- There were reports that my idol was badly-behaved

Some other answers were finding out their idol had a lover and meeting their idol but finding that they were cold, so be very careful with your image!

Links of interest:
Female idol ranking
How to date an idol
Idol elitism

[Rinko Shiraishi]

the business side

I know there's a lot of crossover with the fanbase section, but here I'll try to zero in on the more business aspects of the idol industry. This section currently uses examples from AKB48 more than usual, unfortunately, so I would encourage more outside research for managers and other staff members especially.

i. earnings

Idols do not make a lot of money, at least in comparison to non-idol musicians and other celebrities. Wages will vary with the popularity of the group and with the popularity of the member.

Here is a fairly recent ranking of the earnings of AKB48 members, and here is the income for Arashi. Earnings are also higher in those who do more of the "extra" work, such as acting, designing and modelling clothes, endorsements, solo careers, etc. In real life, an idol's management agency will play a big part in an idols earnings, as the article states. On this site, a group's manager will be responsible for pushing their members into these deals.

For GEM247 members, trainees can make a little bit of money for doing stages at the GEM theatre, following the AKB48 trainee model.

Links of interest:
Sashihara Rino's monthly salary/income of idol group members
Money-wise, election results doesn't matter that much!

ii. staff

The list is not extensive, and there must be some other staffers, but here's the staff page on the Stage48 wiki. Outside of just managers, there's a lot of room to be involved with idol groups without being an idol, if perhaps anyone would like to take on a staff role. Generally, these people are older as well.

    a. producers

I'm going to use AKB48's producer, Akimoto Yasushi, as an example here. Before he created and produced the AKB48 group franchise, in high school he became a writer for broadcasting and later produced several television shows. He also directed a few films, and works as a professor and vice president at Kyoto University of Art and Design. In addition, he is also responsible for writing the lyrics for their songs.

Check this article for more information about Akimoto as well as AKB in general. He also thinks about how the songs should be promoted, what to do for television shows, online games, and merchandise. In short, the producer has a hand in everything.

    b. managers

I'll be the first to admit that when I made my manager, I took some cues from the managers of Korean idols, who are generally younger (in their mid-20s+) than their Japanese counterparts. Korean managers have their own sort of fan following too, possibly because they're often seen with the groups they manage. There are even polls for who the best-looking managers are.  Some of them may have been former idols or trainees who never debuted. For purposes of the site, blending some of the Korean traits probably wouldn't hurt. But this is Japan, so we'll be talking about Japan henceforth.

Like the basic rundown on the member groups page says, managers are in charge of scheduling meet-ups, appointments, and appearances for their group and idols. Remember that idols are an industry; other than the leaders and soloists, managers and/or companies can market some regular members more than others, so if they see something special in a member or notice that they are especially popular with fans, they might start promoting them more by getting them more endorsement deals and the like.

In reality, groups have more than one manager so their duties are split. Here's an example of some previous 48 group managers; there are General and Theatre managers for the 48 groups.

Here's an article about Takahashi Minami being AKB48's general manager. The general manager is directly under the group's producer. They are the ones who deal with the press and media, including scandals and controversies (along with the members in question, of course). Here's a report written by the General Theatre Manager of AKB48 following Minegishi Minami's scandal.

Kayano Shinobu, AKB48 Group Manager, worked for the group as a costume designer first, and said she was shocked when she was appointed the GM. In her speech she talks about the team reformations and her previous work before she became a manager.

I don't have any specifics about education, but being educated in business and management and other related areas doesn't seem too far-fetched to think about in regards to managers (or any staff member, for that matter).

Links of interest:

Theater managers emerge and urge fans to unite

    c. others

Looking at the wiki listed at the start of this section there are staff members for Public Relations of the Theatre (Nishiyama Kyoko, who is also in charge of the idols' well-being), stylists, video visuals (Kitagawa Kenji, who works on commercials, music videos, television shows), and customer centre. I don't know what that last one is, but I'll try to find out. There must be more divisions of staff, of course.

If you check these pages, you can find the G+ profiles and they take lots of photos of the idols, so for sure certain staff members will always be nearby.

Finally, while there is no specific rank for idol group staff other than managers, I would encourage the creation of other staff characters as well.

iii. talent agencies

Talents, including non-idol talents, should belong to an agency. In real life, individual idols belonging to one group can belong to several different agencies, but on Akiba Idol it can be assumed that idols in a group belong to the talent agency the group belongs to (members of Afternoon Delight would have Houkago Project Promotions as their agency, etc).

The agencies on Akiba Idol handle musical talents, so if your character is a musician but not an idol, they may be able to collaborate or otherwise be featured together on a television program or event as the idols, etc., as long as they belong to the same agency as the group. That's not to say that anyone can be featured together at all, but arrangements would be easier within the same agency. This is only in theory, I think; for example, AKB48 and EXILE members have appeared on a talk/variety show together before, Idoling!! have been guests on AKBINGO!, and celebrity guests of all trades are sometimes seen on idol shows.

These agencies would be the ones managing individual idols, but that type of management does not exist on Akiba Idol -- that's the job of the group's manager.

iii. misc

This is definitely my weakest area of knowledge, so if you have anything you want to see in particular or have any information, as always, please send it my way.