More than 10,000 teenage girls in Japan call themselves “idols”. For decades, the worship of cute girls was regarded as one of the strangest subcultures in Japan; a fairly specific definition of female sexuality. The rise of the Internet made the subculture of "idols" a mainstream phenomenon. It is ubiquitous in Japanese society and is backed by an enormous money industry. Tokyo Idols follows some idols and their super fans who sometimes literally give their lives to be able to follow their idol.

 

Director Kyoko Miyake left Japan after her childhood. It was only later, during her visit in her home country, that she became acquainted with the phenomenon of idols. Miyake looks to discover what is at the root of this phenomenon and why she and many other girls feel uncomfortable in Japan. Tokyo Idols is a fascinating documentary that goes beyond just presenting this exotic phenomenon. It questions the ever-growing disconnection between man and woman, and between virtuality and reality in these hyper-modern times.