Following the release of “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop”, there was initially little to no reaction, which did not come as a surprise. Considering Johnny Kitagawa and his talent agencies enjoyed the status of the proverbial “holy cow” in Japan, especially among fans of the bands that came out of Kitagawa’s talent stable, the response was not at all shocking to BBC reporter Mobeen Azhar and director Megumi Inman. However, as months went by, eventually the media, not only in Japan, took note of what was going on behind the facade of Johnny & Associates which paved the way to the downfall of the agency.
The Shadow of a Predator is screening at Nippon Connection
In their short documentary “The Shadow of a Predator”, Azhar and Inman continue their investigation into the case of Johnny Kitagawa, this time focusing on the repercussions of the media outrage after their first feature was released. After over 1000 men came forward to tell the story of their abuse at the hands of Kitagawa, how he promised them fame and fortune in return for sex and their silence, the talent agency was simply erased from existence. With a series of resignations and investigations, the former associates behind the company Kitagawa started, founded a group promising to go after each case of abuse and offer reparations to the victims.
While the viewer may feel a shimmer of hope after the beginning, this will certainly be diminished by the end credits of the sequel to “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop”. Again, we accompany Azhar and his team as they aim to find out if this new agency really does what it is supposed to do, but also follows the fates of those who were willing to share their story and who suffered the wrath of online trolls and the fans still clinging on to the dream Kitagawa had been selling for so long. The results are sobering and just as frustrating, reaffirming the image of a society still hesitant to follow up on their promise of punishing crime and protecting the victims.
Even though the conclusion may not be as enraging as in its predecessor, “The Shadow of a Predator” – as the title would suggest – emphasizes the long shadow of Kitagawa, whose years of manipulating the public image cannot be deleted easily. At the same time, Azhar’s line of questioning and his often frustrated monologues into the camera suggest that while the executive foundation is there, it will probably take years to heal the wounds as well as to change the mindset of people clinging onto an image rather than facts.
“The Shadow of a Predator” is a short documentary shedding light on the aftermath of the outrage following the revelations of Johnny Kitagawa’s years of abuse and bullying. Similar to its predecessor, Megumi Inman and Mobeen Azhar give their viewer an overview of the facts, while also pointing at facets of a society still reluctant to talk openly about certain issues and give victims of abuse hope their voices will be heard.
