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The story
Inukari Soya (23), a member of STARTO ENTERTAINMENT’s junior group “KEY TO LIT,” was stunned during a Heisei-era trivia segment on Fuji TV’s “Pokapoka” upon learning the meaning of “Ashii-kun” (a guy who chauffeurs women around) and “Messhii-kun” (a guy who treats women to meals), reacting with “That’s just too awful.” Guests Ozawa Shinju and Yada Akiko also appeared on the show. In the 5ch thread, posters old enough to remember that era chimed in with stories like “There was a ‘Mitsugu-kun’ too” and “That’s really what they were called back then,” while others were skeptical, asking “Isn’t this just an urban legend made up by the media?” — opinion was split.
23-year-old male idol says “That’s just awful,” reacting with anger after hearing the origin of the Heisei-era terms “Ashii-kun” and “Messhii-kun”
Inukari Soya (23), a member of STARTO ENTERTAINMENT’s junior group KEY TO LIT (“Kiteretsu”), appeared live on Fuji TV’s “Pokapoka” on the 3rd. There was a moment where he was floored by a Heisei-era buzzword.
On that day’s episode, actresses Ozawa Shinju and Yada Akiko appeared as guests for a quiz segment about things that were popular back in the Heisei era.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Back then he was called "Mitsugu-kun" (lit. "Mr. Provider")
There really were guys named "Mitsugu" (lit. "to provide/give") — wild name when you think about it now.
Atsushi's dad's name was Mitsugu lol
Guess values are gradually shifting toward gender equality.
I bet plenty of people had them. Actually, regardless of era, there've always been people treated this way.
There was also this subtle thing where being seen with a great-looking woman gave you status among your friends. Even as just the "Ashii" or "Messhii," getting called on by a woman everyone envied, and driving her around or walking with her in public, gave you a sense of superiority.
Ah, I see.
Still, makes you wonder what happened to all the Ashii/Messhii guys afterward.
Back then more people went to college in the Tokyo area than now, so maybe they moved back to their hometowns and got married locally?
Background and key points of this topic
“Ashii-kun” and “Messhii-kun” are slang terms said to have spread during Japan’s bubble economy era (late 1980s to early 1990s), describing a practice where women used men other than their actual boyfriend as a designated driver or designated treater-to-meals, respectively. Around the same time, the term “Mitsugu-kun” (“Mr. Provider”) also circulated. Back then the gender pay gap was far larger than today, and this trend — premised on men’s earning power — was something the media of the era enjoyed playing up for laughs. Within the thread, opinions are split over how much these terms reflected real practice versus how much was media exaggeration bordering on urban legend, with posters too young to have lived through that era voicing skepticism it was ever real. Worth flagging for readers who might otherwise assume this reflected “typical Japanese dating attitudes of the past”: it was really just a phenomenon the media of the time liked to spotlight, not a broad social norm.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] 23-year-old male idol says “That’s just awful,” angered upon learning the meaning of the Heisei-era buzzwords “Ashii-kun” and “Messhii-kun”…“.
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