You cannot easily become a Japanese actor or singer. You must be scouted or join a jimusho (agency). These agencies have immense power: they control magazine covers, TV appearances, and even news stories. The most notorious was Johnny's, which blacklisted any media that criticized them for decades. The 2023 collapse of Johnny's (due to founder’s systematic abuse of boys) is the industry's #MeToo watershed.
Entertainment is a mask. Japanese celebrities maintain a strict tatemae (public facade) versus honne (true feelings). Scandals are rarely about sex or drugs (tolerated privately) but about breaking the contract of persona—a married idol is "tainted" because fans bought the fantasy of availability. You cannot easily become a Japanese actor or singer
Streaming has broken the production committee model. Netflix offers "global deals" with upfront cash, allowing studios like Science SARU to bypass Japanese TV conservative standards. However, Netflix also imposes Western pacing (shorter seasons, less filler), which purists argue ruins the slow-burn aesthetic of shows like Monster. The most notorious was Johnny's , which blacklisted
Unlike Hollywood, where a studio funds a film, Japanese anime is funded by a "Production Committee" (Kadokawa (publisher), Bandai (toy maker), Sony Music (CD sales), and a TV station). The actual animation studio is usually paid a flat fee. This means animators are famously underpaid (earning $20,000/year), while the committee profits from merchandise. while the committee profits from merchandise.