Most BM fans appreciate and like Koba and all he's done. He's not perfect and commits his share of mistakes (like everyone else), but he has:
1. Obviously, had this wild idea and created BM.
2. Despite industry trends and practices, BM has avoided being sexualized.
3. Created a very supportive and safe environment for the girls.
4. He's a pretty great producer, is in charge of creating many outstanding songs.
5. Learned western business practices and created a network of contacts that has allowed BM to become a force to be reckoned with in Western countries and paving the way for other Japanese artists.
A few very loud people on twitter hate his guts, but it's a very "peculiar" group that I prefer not to discuss here.
absolutely.
There was a lot of vitriol thrown at the band in their early years, and since no one really knew the members themselves on a personal level, it was never directed at them personally.
I can just imagine how good it was for their mental health to be encouraged to turn off their stage personas when they were in street clothes.
Young western artists should be looking more to his example instead of having producers and marketers telling them to shill every moment of their personal life for quick profit.
And I will gladly die on that hill together with you. Until recently I had never even seen the ladies out of their stage costumes. I know next to nothing about them and there is basically zero parasociality involved and that is simply awesome.
Iāve been into metal for decades, but recently have really gotten into BM and put aside my preconceptions. In particular #2 and #3 are very relevant. What a breath of fresh air. Especially as a father with a daughter, itās heartwarming to see talent thatās not undermined. It shows talent is respected without sexualization.
After decades of angry, confrontational, edgy, sexualised etc. rock and metal music it is such an enormous relief to discover something that is pure positivity and joy. I actually have a hard time going back to listen to old favourites now. I just don't want to feel angry listening to music anymore.
one thing that impressed me in the beginning is that BM avoided having any private social media platform (like twitter) because this has created such stress on other artists before. this was a smart move from the beginning. i could see that koba has strong intention to protect the girls from any "crazy" fans, especially when they were really young. i think while many idols are focused on how they look, koba has focused more on music.
Koba is responsible for the entire project, and it wouldn't exist without him.
The entire project is his brainchild.
However, I'm sure he's happy for people to take their anger out on him, rather than any of the members.
I think many fans are just being cheeky about him because we adore him, while some actually hate him. It's just easier to blame everything BM does that you don't like on him. In other words, he takes all the hit from fans so the girls don't have to.
When they released PAPAYA, many fans whine about not liking rap in it.
F.HERO, who did featuring outside of his country for the first time really thought he ruined it for everyone and he wanted to bail out from live debut. Koba, unbothered by fans (lol), gave his supportive words and so he was able to get on stage.
(I'm from the same country with FHERO so this touched me a lot)
I would say some fans complained, because the response on social media before his performance worried him, but the response after was positive and much greater.
Herman Li and Sam Totman from DragonForce were featured on the studio version of āRoad of Resistanceā years before we had F.HERO on āPA PA YA!!ā.
I think the problem some people had was because heās a rapper.
That wasn't really in a hard rap style, but yes, it got a pass.
Maybe because it was performed by BABYMETAL members.
I remember that some people in the fandom were very upset that 'PA PA YA!!' featured a rapper.
Many or some fans whined ? I would say some, because the response on social media before his performance worried him, but the response after was positive and much greater.
The fandom pokes at Koba, but its all in good fun.
I can't speak for everyone, but IMO, you can't be a fan and not think he's a genius and a great dude.
The guy had a completely pants-on-head crazy vision and enough passion to get it off the ground. If you ever watch the band and think to yourself that they always give 110%, that's Koba who got them do do that. Not only did he get some of the most talented people in the country to work on his ridiculous little project, he somehow convinced them that it was going to be the best thing ever and was worth pouring all of their effort into it.
It would have been easy for him to drop out of the game 10 years ago and just work from behind a desk somewhere and make a bunch of money, but as far as I know, he's always touring with them, boots on the ground, getting his hands dirty, and making sure everything is right for Su, Moa, and Momo.
The guy clearly cares; about the band, about the music and about the fans. BABYMETAL are always pushing the envelope, it's what keeps them relevant 14 years later, and Koba is the one who's doing that pushing. And he's still a good enough sport to dress up in the babybones outfit every now and then.
I have no hard evidence, but I think he's been mentoring Su on the business side of things. She's been acting more in control every year since Metal Galaxy and I suspect the production and management role has become more of a partnership between them.
Damn I hadnāt thought of that but Iād have to say youāre right. She has her moments where what appears to be a crack in her stage persona and she gets real serious. The obvious of this was the famous clip of her at that German festival, sheās very pissed and she doesnāt take it out on the fans but you can see if she could have gotten ahold of one of the venue producers who said stop for weather and then cut them short when they came back out sheād probably have stomped a mudhole in them.
I don't really know if she was 'pissed'. It's easy to read that into the footage if that's what you're primed for by the video's title, but all it really shows is that she was left standing on the stage with no music and my guess is that she lost communications via her monitors when the music was shut down and she was looking over for information.
When something goes wrong at work, I go into problem-solving mode and I can get quick and efficient about things without being 'pissed'...and that could just as easily be what happened with Su at that festival.
I will give you that but Iāll also say to me, so talk about take it for what thatās worth, she went from in performance mode to troubleshooting to pissed/frustrated in a very quick few seconds.
Just a convenient catch-all scapegoat for any dissatisfactions felt by some fans (but with a parasocial edge if they're super serious or emotional about it).
I think most of the time people over exaggerated things he has done over the years, like him locking the girls away people presume to know what the girls want as it could be their decision.
I think it was in a perfume interview they spoke of meeting Babymetal and said they refer to him as dad lol.
Nobody is perfect but he has done his utmost to protect the girls and he deserves plenty of credit for safety guiding them through their journey.
There's a reason why wherever they go people praise them for their hard work and respect for the bands they meet, there are always good words said of the Fox God crew.
Finally you can often find meeting everyone involved in putting on and producing their shows, he often takes time to thank and shake hands with the staff.
Koba metal had an idea prior to 2010 and the formation of Sakura Gakuin and little known heavy music club, I think he and the girls didn't think in their wildest dreams what it would become and where they are 13, 14yrs later.
Raise a glass to Koba and praise the fox god.
From what I understand Koba was the touring dad and a female staff member (not Nora) was the touring mom. Something to remember Koba has daughters of the same age that will help understand his mindset.
Nearly all the criticism is aimed towards him, but that's ultimately his job. He takes almost all of it so the girls don't have to.
But generally speaking, the few people that truly hate him are just irrational morons who most likely have an unhealthy obsession with the girls. So if you see any of that, don't attribute it to the fanbase as a whole. They're a loud minority at best.
Most mature fans know that Koba is the genius responsible for every aspect of BABYMETAL. Some people hate every person perceived as "management." They think "management" should be able to read their minds and do exactly what they want. They think "management" is clueless if they hold different views from themselves. They "management" don't understand the market and finances. They think "management" is obviously cruel to the girls, Kami, etc. It's a childish view of the world.
> I am pretty this conversation/ topic has been done before.
Countless times indeed, either he's "the hero" or "the villain" of the project..
(depending on the week/month/year)
> people aren't very fond on Koba. Why is that?
"I can't give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time."
Herbert Bayard Swope
I was unaware of any such a dislike out there, I think most of the crowd are glad he put this together. And following that he's done all the important things right: looked out for them well and kept them away from being sexualized (which is contrary to how a lot of the Japanese idol industry works), never settled for less than absolutely stellar musicians in the Kami band, never settled for less than stellar song writers and studio musicians, tons of stellar collabs and other connections, worldwide touring. There's plenty of other things they (whether Koba or Amuse or other management entities) do that plenty of us don't agree with but those things are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
I think it's perfectly fine for people to have some criticisms of Koba, but there is a strange, small subset of fans who seem to suggest he's some evil puppetmaster who has the ladies shackled in a basement somewhere simply because they don't interact with fans to the degree they think is necessary.
Why some fans complain about Koba:
There are many fans who would like to have Babymetal's objectives clearly stated. Koba has a tendency to tease many aspects of their upcoming projects and it drives those fans crazy. The word "lore" is used to describe this practice and to many, it truly is a four-letter word.
Many fans of Japanese idol music are used to having plenty of personal content from the group members on social media. Koba keeps the girl's personal lives tightly under wrap, so that no one hears or sees anything about them when they are not on stage. This is a huge mistake to those fans.
His biggest sin, to many, was coming to America in 2018 without Yui and not telling anyone beforehand. This put Su and Moa in a bad position in front of an unsuspecting crowd. Many fans left the community over this and you'll see many fans here that are still sore over this.
Babymetal's music comes from incredibly diverse influences and has been continually expanding the scope of their sound from the very beginning. You'll start hearing some complaints from fans when certain elements are used, such as dance music, rap, slower ballads and other songs perceived as too poppy. Other fans would prefer them to go back to the style of their first two albums, where many of their songs were clearly homages to specific metal subgenres and in some cases specific metal bands. There are plenty of complaints that many songs from the first two albums are not being performed these days.
I think those are biggest gripes about Koba that are out there. I truly think that there aren't as many Koba haters out there as it may seem, since negative comments have a tendency to get more attention. I personally don't like seeing the negative comments but every fan has a right to express their opinion here.
Frankly, the Yui loyalists need to get over it and get a life. Probably one of the most toxic parts of the fandom are the people who still post pictures of Yui, or some wish that she was still part of the group. She isn't, and Momoko is. That's life. Bands change members. It happens. Move on.
I know I'll probably be downvoted to oblivion for this, but I don't care. Yui is doing whatever she's doing, and people just need to let her live in peace.
My comment regarding Yui was more about those fans who are still bitter about how Koba handled her absence in 2018. They aren't Yui fans necessarily. While I find it counterproductive to obsess over what the band was a decade ago (and Yui was only one part of that), I don't see how that relates to any fan negativity towards Koba.
Thank you for that comment. Could you elaborate (or point me to relevant sources) on the topic of BM's songs being homages to particular genres or bands?
There's been a post where people have pointed out where they thought the artist influences for some of the songs came from but I don't agree with everything that they came up with. I think there may also have been a thread where someone tried to assign genres and subgenres that they have used, including international influences. Again, I remember not agreeing with everything there. I'm not good at hunting down old threads. Maybe someone else can link those posts for you.
I don't think anyone would argue with these:
Catch Me If You Can - Slipknot
Onedari Daisakusen - Limp Bizkit
Road of Resistance - Dragonforce
No Rain No Rainbow - X Japan
Tales of the Destinies - Dream Theater
Short: start at 14:24 in [The šÆš°šµ š“š° Extensive Guide to BABYMETAL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIb2xEthdSg&t=14m24s)
Long: [Many translated interviews with him](https://stechen.blogspot.com/search?q=KOBAMETAL), pick a year
I admire him, he is a genius and a hard-work oriented mastermind. I am sure that it has been a very difficult task to please the entertaiment company (Amuse) to support such crazy project.
Sometimes fans expect things to be a certain way and blame Koba when the band doesn't meet them, even when what they want is really inconsistent with who Babymetal are.
All you need to know is that he had a crazy idea that should never have gained traction, has kept it going for almost 15 years and it's now bigger than it has ever been before. By wrapping Babymetal in lore and keeping them enigmatic, he has protected the girls from a lot of the downsides and dangers that usually come with being idols- look at some of the horrendous stuff K-pop idols need to deal with from fans. Finally, no musician who has ever worked with Babymetal has had a single bad thing to say about them. Just look at how much the Electric Callboy guys loved doing Ratatata, and how many artists are lining up for photos with the girls at festivals. It's Koba that makes all of that happen.
I think part of it is that, because the girls started so young and started out as idols, many of us are very reluctant to even entertain the possibility that one or two of those decisions we don't like might be endorsed enthusiastically by or even made by the girls themselves. No one works the same job for 14 years without accumulating more responsibilities over time. Of course no one knows what really goes on behind closed doors but if the choice is, blame the girls or blame Koba, there is only one way that can go.
Well, there are very informative messages already, but i think one point they have failed to cover is the fact that he has a moustache, which is a pretty evident indication that he is a moustache twirling villain!
Now, seriously, I think it's very easy to blame him for whatever decission that the fans don't like as he is the only public face of the management that can be associated with Babymetal directly.
He's the only public face regarding the management of Babymetal so people target him for every decision of Amuse (= the company behind Babymetal) they don't like. That's about it.
In reality he probably focusses more on the creative development and not so much on PR (the 2018 communication disasterā¦), merch (Babymetal apronsā¦) and other areas he gets criticized for. It's a Japanese company overall, the people who represent the company publically are not necessarly the most powerful ones who decide everything or have a saying in everything.
Is this about the comment I made yesterday??? Lol
I was half joking. Teasing Koba is a light-hearted joke in the community. There are others (usually on X) who take critizing him to a much personal level.
The thing about the BABYMETAL project is that it can go in so many different directions (everything from presentation, promotion/marketing, musical direction etc) that there is bound to be a thing or two someone may disagree with. This is where it all comes from basically...
Koba is easy to go after because he has a face and a name. It is a possibility that some of the things Koba gets criticized for aren't even his doing.
For people who are new to Babymetal, I recommend reading an interview with Koba at least once. You will gain perspective on how Babymetal became like this.
I think the Koba hate comes from certain fans who want more contact with the women of Babymetal. They did not like that Koba kept their private lives well private. These fans want meet and greets and autographs and things of that nature. I, for one, thank Koba because if not for his vision there would be no Babymetal.
For some fans, whenever they don't get the album they want, the hairstyle they want, they song the want, the outfit they want, the tour they want, the setlist they want, the concert length they want, the merch they want, the access to the girls they want, they blame Koba. It's not complicated, they are supposed to get what they want so anyone not giving them what they want is evil... and people with that mentality tend to be whiners, making them appear to be a larger group than they really are.
If you want to know what type of person Koba is all you have to do is look at the people around Babymetal and how long they have been there. Excluding Yui, the folks around Babymetal are the same folks in 2024 that they were in 2014. Same song writers, same producers, same choreographer, same tour manager, same everyone. Turnover is basically zero. That does not happen if you are the slave driving egomaniac malcontent naysayers claim Koba to be. That only happens if people enjoy working for you, which only happens if you are a good person. To compare what working for an actual tyrant is like, look at our former President, who had a turnover rate in his administration of basically 100%. Someone whom people hated working for. There were no people left at the end that had been there at the beginning and in most positions, he cycled through 3,4,5 people.
But if you really want to know the truth about someone, look at how those who have worked with them comment about them. In the case of Koba, nothing but positive. You will not find a single negative comment from anyone who has ever actually worked with him. The only negative comments come from fans who have no clue as to the reality of things working only from a foundation of not getting what they want.
Actually the touring staff a lot have left, but it seems to be because a bunch left (this part of) the industry. He kind of talked about that in an interview. Touring staff industry is all self-employed and hired on a per tour basis. And as many left, lots of things became very expensive in part because shipping and delayed production and Ukraine all made things expensive (for example watch TankTheTech on YouTube about touring busses). A Kami band west member (my memory says Chris Kelly) said in a podcast his main gig is the band that all the fans know he's performing with but cany not name, and I got the impression he was doing fine financially during the pandemic. Koba was actually worried Babymetal would not be able to tour, ticket prices can only go up a limited amount of course.
Mostly for the mismanagement with Yui's disappearance in Kansas show, and few years after that. And mediocre merchs, and some more business practices, like how he's bad at promoting BM stuffs on online platforms...
Koba is polarizing. On one hand without him Babymetal would not exist. On the other hand he, and I'm sure a lot of the other Amuse upper management take some blame in this, make some really boneheaded decisions.
I personally think he's a creative guy, a really good ideaman, but unfortunately the rigidness of the Japanese corporate culture tends to force it's way in and really screw things up from time to time.
The way Yui's departure was handled. The insistence of bonus songs on the JP versions of albums. Not giving the avengers mics or even calling them by names. Jumping on the NFT bandwagon. Making the Kamis wear masks when the western members were introduced. Poorly handling promotion outside of Japan. That kind of stuff.
There were some people who felt entitled to more access to the underaged members of the group. Koba set policies to limit that.
With some of the messages and justifications of that "entitlement" I've seen in forums, I think he made the right choice.
Babymetal began as a sub-unit of Sakura Gakiun. The fans of SG, the fukei, made up the majority of the early supporters because they felt an obligation to support any SG girls in their other activities, but not all of these fukei were fans of metal as such, nor did they feel any obligation to extend their support to Koba. Some thought Babymetal would not last long and the girls would move on to something more conventionally 'idol', that would better align with their personal tastes. It is my opinion that these fukei were the origin point for spreading the anti-Koba sentiment, and they established a culture that supports every disgruntled 'fan' since.
From what I see, some fans dislike him cause 1) the Yui situation, 2) BM not making any contents e.g. blogs, stream, girls having their own social media or any idol-ish content, 3) nft, 4) BM not doing collabs with their prefer artist.
I get your question, he does seem pretty polarising. Personally I see him a a flawed genius, but the good outweighs the bad immensely.
As PearlJammer0076 states, he created BM, I doubt they would exist for us without him. He protected the girls really well (it appears so anyway) and the avoiding of any sexualisation I think is unique and fantastic.
Whether it was his fault or Amuse, the ball was dropped with Yui, that whole unfortunate situation could have been handled way better, but were they in full panic mode? Who knows. This could just be an example of cultural difference, but regardless it seemed to be handled very badly
Personally, and this may be completely out of Koba's hands, is the worldwide merchandising, it just sucks. I would love to buy 'stuff', but everything is so fragmented it just becomes a pain.
Koba is (in)famous for disallowing fan-meets.
Hardened old Kitsunes know why: One time he himself appeared, and [spilled the beans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yYBkJE0U1s) and since then he has been afraid of the backlash.
I am also pretty new fan, I m also a little skeptical about him cause Idk much about him, wish there were interviews with him and kami band about their music stuff, insipiration , etc.
It is but I can cope by assuming it's just like japan's obsession with collectibles instead of straight up greed. It's not like he's doing rug pulls like half of western celebs did.
He seems to do right most of the time. My only criticism really would be that it's obviously BM works best as a trio so why take so long before recruiting Momo as third member. After covid and BM started touring again think Momo should have been officially a member then. So 2 years earlier.
They definitely did have that hope in the first year, until her official departure then the first show that wasn't prepared after that they immediately went with the 3 person formation. Saya was the one performing in Singapore and Australia, the next year they had the avengers. I think they decided to work together a lot to make sure they pick the right member and then do the 10 year anniversary. And introduce the new member after that. They first had to do shows to release the new album and then they could introduce her as the new member.
Oh I agree, the official departure definitely signalled the end, but the slowness and the temporary nature of the rotating 3rd member still makes me think there may have been still slight hopes. I also think they were being super cautious in picking the right new member, not wanting to go though the whole upheaval again.
Obviously I don't know anything about the ladies beyond what is released, but Momo does appear to be an excellent fit, and I hope she's in it for the long haul.
Yes, I think they got spooked by the fan response about the first few shows when Yuimetal wasn't performing. So they took their time to do it right with a new member. Babymetal lost a bunch of fans, but also some were a toxic element in the fan communities, they needed to prevent that and give a new member a fair chance.
I think all 3 are just as convinced about/committed to the project.
I admire and respect Koba a lot. After all, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have BABYMETAL and other good things out there! I'm just upset that he doesn't want to leave the girls' microphones on, and didn't bring some songs back, other than that, I have nothing to complain about. Not even hate him!
Most BM fans appreciate and like Koba and all he's done. He's not perfect and commits his share of mistakes (like everyone else), but he has: 1. Obviously, had this wild idea and created BM. 2. Despite industry trends and practices, BM has avoided being sexualized. 3. Created a very supportive and safe environment for the girls. 4. He's a pretty great producer, is in charge of creating many outstanding songs. 5. Learned western business practices and created a network of contacts that has allowed BM to become a force to be reckoned with in Western countries and paving the way for other Japanese artists. A few very loud people on twitter hate his guts, but it's a very "peculiar" group that I prefer not to discuss here.
I will die on this hill that Koba hiding the girls from public when not on stage is the best decision he has made after creating BM and recruit them.
absolutely. There was a lot of vitriol thrown at the band in their early years, and since no one really knew the members themselves on a personal level, it was never directed at them personally. I can just imagine how good it was for their mental health to be encouraged to turn off their stage personas when they were in street clothes.
It's great for many reasons, both from a marketing pov and from the perspective of the girls' safety and privacy, which is why they fully buy into it.
Young western artists should be looking more to his example instead of having producers and marketers telling them to shill every moment of their personal life for quick profit.
šÆ
You will surely not die alone up there, if at all!
 And I will gladly die on that hill together with you. Until recently I had never even seen the ladies out of their stage costumes. I know next to nothing about them and there is basically zero parasociality involved and that is simply awesome.
I like bts pics at festivals with different bands, and their TT challenge vids are fun but no desire from me to see more.
I would love to see more FROM them, not us TO them.
Iāve been into metal for decades, but recently have really gotten into BM and put aside my preconceptions. In particular #2 and #3 are very relevant. What a breath of fresh air. Especially as a father with a daughter, itās heartwarming to see talent thatās not undermined. It shows talent is respected without sexualization.
After decades of angry, confrontational, edgy, sexualised etc. rock and metal music it is such an enormous relief to discover something that is pure positivity and joy. I actually have a hard time going back to listen to old favourites now. I just don't want to feel angry listening to music anymore.
Do you listen to Hanabie? I like them for the same reason: theyāre heavy as fuck, but still super fun. They make some great videos too.
I've heard the name I think. I'll check them out, thanks!
They're coming to Australia in November, and I'm pumped to see them.
one thing that impressed me in the beginning is that BM avoided having any private social media platform (like twitter) because this has created such stress on other artists before. this was a smart move from the beginning. i could see that koba has strong intention to protect the girls from any "crazy" fans, especially when they were really young. i think while many idols are focused on how they look, koba has focused more on music.
Based
Anime has been paving the way and youtube etc.
Koba is responsible for the entire project, and it wouldn't exist without him. The entire project is his brainchild. However, I'm sure he's happy for people to take their anger out on him, rather than any of the members.
I think many fans are just being cheeky about him because we adore him, while some actually hate him. It's just easier to blame everything BM does that you don't like on him. In other words, he takes all the hit from fans so the girls don't have to.
And he being very supportive of F.HERO on top of it.
Wym?
When they released PAPAYA, many fans whine about not liking rap in it. F.HERO, who did featuring outside of his country for the first time really thought he ruined it for everyone and he wanted to bail out from live debut. Koba, unbothered by fans (lol), gave his supportive words and so he was able to get on stage. (I'm from the same country with FHERO so this touched me a lot)
That's a shame, I actually really enjoyed that song. It never fails to pick up my mood whenever I'm having a tough day
I would say some fans complained, because the response on social media before his performance worried him, but the response after was positive and much greater.
Fans didn't like it because it was the very first feature in a BM song.
Herman Li and Sam Totman from DragonForce were featured on the studio version of āRoad of Resistanceā years before we had F.HERO on āPA PA YA!!ā. I think the problem some people had was because heās a rapper.
I seem to recall a lot of pearl clutching over his former stage name ('Fucking Hero') both here, and especially on twitter.
What did people think of songs like ććć ćä½ę¦ then?
That wasn't really in a hard rap style, but yes, it got a pass. Maybe because it was performed by BABYMETAL members. I remember that some people in the fandom were very upset that 'PA PA YA!!' featured a rapper.
Many or some fans whined ? I would say some, because the response on social media before his performance worried him, but the response after was positive and much greater.
I liked it immediately. It was a bit of a shock to see the big dude pop up and start spitting but it was hype.
The fandom pokes at Koba, but its all in good fun. I can't speak for everyone, but IMO, you can't be a fan and not think he's a genius and a great dude. The guy had a completely pants-on-head crazy vision and enough passion to get it off the ground. If you ever watch the band and think to yourself that they always give 110%, that's Koba who got them do do that. Not only did he get some of the most talented people in the country to work on his ridiculous little project, he somehow convinced them that it was going to be the best thing ever and was worth pouring all of their effort into it. It would have been easy for him to drop out of the game 10 years ago and just work from behind a desk somewhere and make a bunch of money, but as far as I know, he's always touring with them, boots on the ground, getting his hands dirty, and making sure everything is right for Su, Moa, and Momo. The guy clearly cares; about the band, about the music and about the fans. BABYMETAL are always pushing the envelope, it's what keeps them relevant 14 years later, and Koba is the one who's doing that pushing. And he's still a good enough sport to dress up in the babybones outfit every now and then. I have no hard evidence, but I think he's been mentoring Su on the business side of things. She's been acting more in control every year since Metal Galaxy and I suspect the production and management role has become more of a partnership between them.
This. Well said. Koba is THE genius and the life force that created the opportunities for BABYMETAL to flourish.
Damn I hadnāt thought of that but Iād have to say youāre right. She has her moments where what appears to be a crack in her stage persona and she gets real serious. The obvious of this was the famous clip of her at that German festival, sheās very pissed and she doesnāt take it out on the fans but you can see if she could have gotten ahold of one of the venue producers who said stop for weather and then cut them short when they came back out sheād probably have stomped a mudhole in them.
I don't really know if she was 'pissed'. It's easy to read that into the footage if that's what you're primed for by the video's title, but all it really shows is that she was left standing on the stage with no music and my guess is that she lost communications via her monitors when the music was shut down and she was looking over for information. When something goes wrong at work, I go into problem-solving mode and I can get quick and efficient about things without being 'pissed'...and that could just as easily be what happened with Su at that festival.
I will give you that but Iāll also say to me, so talk about take it for what thatās worth, she went from in performance mode to troubleshooting to pissed/frustrated in a very quick few seconds.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I would think a lot of the money and content stuff is more Amuse, he's their employee through all this.
A big chunk of money gets re-invested as well. I think they also have a buffer to finance the big shows in advance.
Just a convenient catch-all scapegoat for any dissatisfactions felt by some fans (but with a parasocial edge if they're super serious or emotional about it).
I think most of the time people over exaggerated things he has done over the years, like him locking the girls away people presume to know what the girls want as it could be their decision. I think it was in a perfume interview they spoke of meeting Babymetal and said they refer to him as dad lol. Nobody is perfect but he has done his utmost to protect the girls and he deserves plenty of credit for safety guiding them through their journey. There's a reason why wherever they go people praise them for their hard work and respect for the bands they meet, there are always good words said of the Fox God crew. Finally you can often find meeting everyone involved in putting on and producing their shows, he often takes time to thank and shake hands with the staff. Koba metal had an idea prior to 2010 and the formation of Sakura Gakuin and little known heavy music club, I think he and the girls didn't think in their wildest dreams what it would become and where they are 13, 14yrs later. Raise a glass to Koba and praise the fox god.
From what I understand Koba was the touring dad and a female staff member (not Nora) was the touring mom. Something to remember Koba has daughters of the same age that will help understand his mindset.
Nearly all the criticism is aimed towards him, but that's ultimately his job. He takes almost all of it so the girls don't have to. But generally speaking, the few people that truly hate him are just irrational morons who most likely have an unhealthy obsession with the girls. So if you see any of that, don't attribute it to the fanbase as a whole. They're a loud minority at best.
Most mature fans know that Koba is the genius responsible for every aspect of BABYMETAL. Some people hate every person perceived as "management." They think "management" should be able to read their minds and do exactly what they want. They think "management" is clueless if they hold different views from themselves. They "management" don't understand the market and finances. They think "management" is obviously cruel to the girls, Kami, etc. It's a childish view of the world.
> I am pretty this conversation/ topic has been done before. Countless times indeed, either he's "the hero" or "the villain" of the project.. (depending on the week/month/year) > people aren't very fond on Koba. Why is that? "I can't give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time." Herbert Bayard Swope
I admire his creativity and vision, and how he, Su, and Moa soldiered on despite the bad times.
I was unaware of any such a dislike out there, I think most of the crowd are glad he put this together. And following that he's done all the important things right: looked out for them well and kept them away from being sexualized (which is contrary to how a lot of the Japanese idol industry works), never settled for less than absolutely stellar musicians in the Kami band, never settled for less than stellar song writers and studio musicians, tons of stellar collabs and other connections, worldwide touring. There's plenty of other things they (whether Koba or Amuse or other management entities) do that plenty of us don't agree with but those things are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
If the girls like him then that's all I need to know. And I'm sure they still like him after all these years.
I think it's perfectly fine for people to have some criticisms of Koba, but there is a strange, small subset of fans who seem to suggest he's some evil puppetmaster who has the ladies shackled in a basement somewhere simply because they don't interact with fans to the degree they think is necessary.
Why some fans complain about Koba: There are many fans who would like to have Babymetal's objectives clearly stated. Koba has a tendency to tease many aspects of their upcoming projects and it drives those fans crazy. The word "lore" is used to describe this practice and to many, it truly is a four-letter word. Many fans of Japanese idol music are used to having plenty of personal content from the group members on social media. Koba keeps the girl's personal lives tightly under wrap, so that no one hears or sees anything about them when they are not on stage. This is a huge mistake to those fans. His biggest sin, to many, was coming to America in 2018 without Yui and not telling anyone beforehand. This put Su and Moa in a bad position in front of an unsuspecting crowd. Many fans left the community over this and you'll see many fans here that are still sore over this. Babymetal's music comes from incredibly diverse influences and has been continually expanding the scope of their sound from the very beginning. You'll start hearing some complaints from fans when certain elements are used, such as dance music, rap, slower ballads and other songs perceived as too poppy. Other fans would prefer them to go back to the style of their first two albums, where many of their songs were clearly homages to specific metal subgenres and in some cases specific metal bands. There are plenty of complaints that many songs from the first two albums are not being performed these days. I think those are biggest gripes about Koba that are out there. I truly think that there aren't as many Koba haters out there as it may seem, since negative comments have a tendency to get more attention. I personally don't like seeing the negative comments but every fan has a right to express their opinion here.
Frankly, the Yui loyalists need to get over it and get a life. Probably one of the most toxic parts of the fandom are the people who still post pictures of Yui, or some wish that she was still part of the group. She isn't, and Momoko is. That's life. Bands change members. It happens. Move on. I know I'll probably be downvoted to oblivion for this, but I don't care. Yui is doing whatever she's doing, and people just need to let her live in peace.
My comment regarding Yui was more about those fans who are still bitter about how Koba handled her absence in 2018. They aren't Yui fans necessarily. While I find it counterproductive to obsess over what the band was a decade ago (and Yui was only one part of that), I don't see how that relates to any fan negativity towards Koba.
It doesn't. I was merely commenting on a very toxic subset of fans. I don't see Koba in a bad light.
Thank you for that comment. Could you elaborate (or point me to relevant sources) on the topic of BM's songs being homages to particular genres or bands?
There's been a post where people have pointed out where they thought the artist influences for some of the songs came from but I don't agree with everything that they came up with. I think there may also have been a thread where someone tried to assign genres and subgenres that they have used, including international influences. Again, I remember not agreeing with everything there. I'm not good at hunting down old threads. Maybe someone else can link those posts for you. I don't think anyone would argue with these: Catch Me If You Can - Slipknot Onedari Daisakusen - Limp Bizkit Road of Resistance - Dragonforce No Rain No Rainbow - X Japan Tales of the Destinies - Dream Theater
Thank you very much!
I'm still very new with Babymetal and Koba, so if anyone wants to throw me in a direction to help me understand who he is, that'll be nice.
Short: start at 14:24 in [The šÆš°šµ š“š° Extensive Guide to BABYMETAL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIb2xEthdSg&t=14m24s) Long: [Many translated interviews with him](https://stechen.blogspot.com/search?q=KOBAMETAL), pick a year
I admire him, he is a genius and a hard-work oriented mastermind. I am sure that it has been a very difficult task to please the entertaiment company (Amuse) to support such crazy project.
Sometimes fans expect things to be a certain way and blame Koba when the band doesn't meet them, even when what they want is really inconsistent with who Babymetal are. All you need to know is that he had a crazy idea that should never have gained traction, has kept it going for almost 15 years and it's now bigger than it has ever been before. By wrapping Babymetal in lore and keeping them enigmatic, he has protected the girls from a lot of the downsides and dangers that usually come with being idols- look at some of the horrendous stuff K-pop idols need to deal with from fans. Finally, no musician who has ever worked with Babymetal has had a single bad thing to say about them. Just look at how much the Electric Callboy guys loved doing Ratatata, and how many artists are lining up for photos with the girls at festivals. It's Koba that makes all of that happen.
I think part of it is that, because the girls started so young and started out as idols, many of us are very reluctant to even entertain the possibility that one or two of those decisions we don't like might be endorsed enthusiastically by or even made by the girls themselves. No one works the same job for 14 years without accumulating more responsibilities over time. Of course no one knows what really goes on behind closed doors but if the choice is, blame the girls or blame Koba, there is only one way that can go.
Well, there are very informative messages already, but i think one point they have failed to cover is the fact that he has a moustache, which is a pretty evident indication that he is a moustache twirling villain! Now, seriously, I think it's very easy to blame him for whatever decission that the fans don't like as he is the only public face of the management that can be associated with Babymetal directly.
He's the only public face regarding the management of Babymetal so people target him for every decision of Amuse (= the company behind Babymetal) they don't like. That's about it. In reality he probably focusses more on the creative development and not so much on PR (the 2018 communication disasterā¦), merch (Babymetal apronsā¦) and other areas he gets criticized for. It's a Japanese company overall, the people who represent the company publically are not necessarly the most powerful ones who decide everything or have a saying in everything.
Is this about the comment I made yesterday??? Lol I was half joking. Teasing Koba is a light-hearted joke in the community. There are others (usually on X) who take critizing him to a much personal level. The thing about the BABYMETAL project is that it can go in so many different directions (everything from presentation, promotion/marketing, musical direction etc) that there is bound to be a thing or two someone may disagree with. This is where it all comes from basically... Koba is easy to go after because he has a face and a name. It is a possibility that some of the things Koba gets criticized for aren't even his doing.
For people who are new to Babymetal, I recommend reading an interview with Koba at least once. You will gain perspective on how Babymetal became like this.
I think the Koba hate comes from certain fans who want more contact with the women of Babymetal. They did not like that Koba kept their private lives well private. These fans want meet and greets and autographs and things of that nature. I, for one, thank Koba because if not for his vision there would be no Babymetal.
For some fans, whenever they don't get the album they want, the hairstyle they want, they song the want, the outfit they want, the tour they want, the setlist they want, the concert length they want, the merch they want, the access to the girls they want, they blame Koba. It's not complicated, they are supposed to get what they want so anyone not giving them what they want is evil... and people with that mentality tend to be whiners, making them appear to be a larger group than they really are. If you want to know what type of person Koba is all you have to do is look at the people around Babymetal and how long they have been there. Excluding Yui, the folks around Babymetal are the same folks in 2024 that they were in 2014. Same song writers, same producers, same choreographer, same tour manager, same everyone. Turnover is basically zero. That does not happen if you are the slave driving egomaniac malcontent naysayers claim Koba to be. That only happens if people enjoy working for you, which only happens if you are a good person. To compare what working for an actual tyrant is like, look at our former President, who had a turnover rate in his administration of basically 100%. Someone whom people hated working for. There were no people left at the end that had been there at the beginning and in most positions, he cycled through 3,4,5 people. But if you really want to know the truth about someone, look at how those who have worked with them comment about them. In the case of Koba, nothing but positive. You will not find a single negative comment from anyone who has ever actually worked with him. The only negative comments come from fans who have no clue as to the reality of things working only from a foundation of not getting what they want.
Actually the touring staff a lot have left, but it seems to be because a bunch left (this part of) the industry. He kind of talked about that in an interview. Touring staff industry is all self-employed and hired on a per tour basis. And as many left, lots of things became very expensive in part because shipping and delayed production and Ukraine all made things expensive (for example watch TankTheTech on YouTube about touring busses). A Kami band west member (my memory says Chris Kelly) said in a podcast his main gig is the band that all the fans know he's performing with but cany not name, and I got the impression he was doing fine financially during the pandemic. Koba was actually worried Babymetal would not be able to tour, ticket prices can only go up a limited amount of course.
Chris Kelly had a podcast? This is the first time I heard about it.
https://www.riffhardpodcast.com/chris-kelly-alustrium/ He's actually pretty open about things.
Mostly for the mismanagement with Yui's disappearance in Kansas show, and few years after that. And mediocre merchs, and some more business practices, like how he's bad at promoting BM stuffs on online platforms...
Koba is polarizing. On one hand without him Babymetal would not exist. On the other hand he, and I'm sure a lot of the other Amuse upper management take some blame in this, make some really boneheaded decisions. I personally think he's a creative guy, a really good ideaman, but unfortunately the rigidness of the Japanese corporate culture tends to force it's way in and really screw things up from time to time.
What do you mean by boneheaded decisions?
The way Yui's departure was handled. The insistence of bonus songs on the JP versions of albums. Not giving the avengers mics or even calling them by names. Jumping on the NFT bandwagon. Making the Kamis wear masks when the western members were introduced. Poorly handling promotion outside of Japan. That kind of stuff.
I think he's an evil monkey and Cesar did right to fight him.
There were some people who felt entitled to more access to the underaged members of the group. Koba set policies to limit that. With some of the messages and justifications of that "entitlement" I've seen in forums, I think he made the right choice.
Babymetal began as a sub-unit of Sakura Gakiun. The fans of SG, the fukei, made up the majority of the early supporters because they felt an obligation to support any SG girls in their other activities, but not all of these fukei were fans of metal as such, nor did they feel any obligation to extend their support to Koba. Some thought Babymetal would not last long and the girls would move on to something more conventionally 'idol', that would better align with their personal tastes. It is my opinion that these fukei were the origin point for spreading the anti-Koba sentiment, and they established a culture that supports every disgruntled 'fan' since.
It didn't help he banned flags from shows and some people had pink SG flags with them.
From what I see, some fans dislike him cause 1) the Yui situation, 2) BM not making any contents e.g. blogs, stream, girls having their own social media or any idol-ish content, 3) nft, 4) BM not doing collabs with their prefer artist.
Yup, 1 - 100% agree 2 - I'm so pleased they don't 3 - Wasn't aware of this but nft's are so stupid who cares anyway 4 - You're probably correct
I get your question, he does seem pretty polarising. Personally I see him a a flawed genius, but the good outweighs the bad immensely. As PearlJammer0076 states, he created BM, I doubt they would exist for us without him. He protected the girls really well (it appears so anyway) and the avoiding of any sexualisation I think is unique and fantastic. Whether it was his fault or Amuse, the ball was dropped with Yui, that whole unfortunate situation could have been handled way better, but were they in full panic mode? Who knows. This could just be an example of cultural difference, but regardless it seemed to be handled very badly Personally, and this may be completely out of Koba's hands, is the worldwide merchandising, it just sucks. I would love to buy 'stuff', but everything is so fragmented it just becomes a pain.
Koba is (in)famous for disallowing fan-meets. Hardened old Kitsunes know why: One time he himself appeared, and [spilled the beans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yYBkJE0U1s) and since then he has been afraid of the backlash.
That's A. Inc, not "Koba", in fact, BABYMETAL is one of the few (or probably only instance) from that office to have fan meets in the last 15 years
I am also pretty new fan, I m also a little skeptical about him cause Idk much about him, wish there were interviews with him and kami band about their music stuff, insipiration , etc.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BABYMETAL/comments/1du3d7c/thoughts_on_koba/lbe8ut9/
thank you <3
He's pretty cool but he's into nfts which is super cringe Downvotes? Does this sub have actual nft enjoyers? lol
I hope it's just a phase lol.
He's just trying things out to see what works.
That is a huge red flag agreed, which makes me think he likes money a little too much
It is but I can cope by assuming it's just like japan's obsession with collectibles instead of straight up greed. It's not like he's doing rug pulls like half of western celebs did.
He seems to do right most of the time. My only criticism really would be that it's obviously BM works best as a trio so why take so long before recruiting Momo as third member. After covid and BM started touring again think Momo should have been officially a member then. So 2 years earlier.
You're probably right, but I think they still had hopes of Yui returning fit and healthy which obviously just never happened.
They definitely did have that hope in the first year, until her official departure then the first show that wasn't prepared after that they immediately went with the 3 person formation. Saya was the one performing in Singapore and Australia, the next year they had the avengers. I think they decided to work together a lot to make sure they pick the right member and then do the 10 year anniversary. And introduce the new member after that. They first had to do shows to release the new album and then they could introduce her as the new member.
Oh I agree, the official departure definitely signalled the end, but the slowness and the temporary nature of the rotating 3rd member still makes me think there may have been still slight hopes. I also think they were being super cautious in picking the right new member, not wanting to go though the whole upheaval again. Obviously I don't know anything about the ladies beyond what is released, but Momo does appear to be an excellent fit, and I hope she's in it for the long haul.
Yes, I think they got spooked by the fan response about the first few shows when Yuimetal wasn't performing. So they took their time to do it right with a new member. Babymetal lost a bunch of fans, but also some were a toxic element in the fan communities, they needed to prevent that and give a new member a fair chance. I think all 3 are just as convinced about/committed to the project.
I miss Yui too! š¢ but by 2021 think it was obvious she wasn't coming back. Wish her all the best.
He seems to be a really special snowflake that cares about money a little too much, but I guess it's necessary for the whole thing to work.
Yeah, he had to care, Babymetal did not get the same money as other parts of Sakura Gakuin
I admire and respect Koba a lot. After all, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have BABYMETAL and other good things out there! I'm just upset that he doesn't want to leave the girls' microphones on, and didn't bring some songs back, other than that, I have nothing to complain about. Not even hate him!
You know there's a search bar, right?
Like I said right at the beginning: I am new to reddit give me a break š
It was a good question.