Thank you to everyone who answered my question about auditions.

I had a good laugh seeing Nana’s post! I was an idol for a brief time too, haha. It’s honestly tough everywhere. They charge proper lesson fees, and even when you appear on the radio, you don’t get paid. These days, you’re basically just grateful for any chance to appear at all. I even knew a senior member who paid hundreds of thousands of yen per visit to a specialized osteopathic clinic because she wanted to straighten her legs and become taller. I’m living a fairly relaxed life now, but I’ve never seen a single person from that agency on TV. By the way, isn’t it pointless to worry when you haven’t even been accepted yet? Even if you do get accepted, that’s what the reality is like behind the scenes. The entertainers who make it into the public eye are just a tiny fraction of a tiny fraction of the industry.

So last time you blamed your parents, and this time you’re blaming the sliding doors in your house? I used to be an underground idol, and I also worked as a manager at an entertainment agency. What kind of audition did you take? Was it an audition to join an agency? If so, it was probably one of those auditions recruiting people who pay membership and lesson fees—often a considerable amount every month. Was it for a Korean agency like BTS’s? In that case, the standards are extremely high, and you wouldn’t pass unless your dancing, appearance, and singing were all reasonably good. Modeling agencies are especially expensive. To put it favorably, modeling is about self-investment: you take lessons, and the agency introduces auditions to you, almost like representing a self-employed professional. You’ve let one thing slip in your post, though. You say you have no money at home, your sliding doors are full of holes, and you don’t even have any clothes—but you do have a phone and use Instagram, right? I think either you’re telling a huge lie, or you’re from an ordinary household but believe you’re poor. Also, this is a place for discussing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), not for asking questions about audition problems. Shall I have someone look you up using your IP address? Could you possibly be staff from another club?

Didn't you quit? When you asked here before, I remember thinking, “Did someone tell you to quit again?” And now it’s happening again… In the end, I feel like you don’t want to make decisions on your own—you want to shift the blame onto someone else and leave yourself an escape route. I decided not to say anything the last time you asked, but since you’re asking again, I couldn’t help myself. And besides, you’re not even doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), nor are you asking whether you should start. So why are you posting questions here? Marika

I don’t think there’s one right answer, so I think you should do whatever will leave you without regrets. If you’ve decided this will be your final audition, then go for it and give it your all! There’s no point in looking at other people’s Instagram accounts. You never know how much of it is real, and comparing yourself to others won’t get you anywhere. I do wonder why there would be audition lesson fees, but I’m not part of that world, so I don’t really know enough to comment. I’m sure there are expenses in every field, and I think it’s perfectly fine to do papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) to cover them. Enjoy the audition, and good luck!

If you give up, that’s the end of the road. If you don’t, you can keep working toward the audition. In my case, I keep taking on challenges, falling short, and then trying again—but each challenge teaches me valuable lessons that I can apply next time. It’s okay to raise your sights a little and reach for something beyond your current level—as long as you’re only standing on tiptoe, right?（笑）