It’s Friday! You know what that means? TIFriday!

bump.y

This name makes me laugh so much. Formed in 2009, bump.y is a five girl unit focusing on both acting and singing; so they’re trying to be both actresses and idol singers. They’ve done so with a net drama also called bump.y, and, from a quick search online, it appears that all the members have been fairly active as actresses. So good job! Oricon wise, bump.y doesn’t sell all that well ( their highest weekly oricon position was 23), but if their goal is to be active singers AND actresses, it appears they’re on a good start. Their 7th single, Savage Heaven, came out this July.

Personally, I don’t follow many J-dramas or movies, so I’m just going to evaluate what I think of bump.y from what I know and the idol portion. However, I do think that promoting them in both spheres is a really smart idea, and I hope it works out for them well. Dramas and TV appearances are great promotions for a group, and having a good group could lead to more opportunities. So it’s a smart move.

When I first saw the PV to Savage Heaven, I thought this would be a completely cool group. Then I saw some of their other stuff and realized that this was just the case for this song. Honestly, I know this gets thrown around a lot, but they give me some KPop vibes, even in their stuff that could be cuter/more fun. This isn’t a bad thing, by any means, but this is what I first thought of. Initially I was lukewarm to Savage Heaven and their next latest single, Cosmos no Hitomi, but they’ve grown on me. I immediately enjoyed Gotta Getcha, and now I think I’m becoming a fan of this group.

If you follow dramas, I’d say you have to follow them right away. However, if you aren’t a big drama fan, like me, I’d suggest checking out Savage Heaven, Cosmo no Hitomi and Gotta Getcha. They’re three different songs, but it shows the range of bump.y. Even though it took me until Gotta Getcha to really get into Bump.y, I really have started to enjoy this group.

BiS

How do I even attempt to write something about BiS? I think they’re really a love it or hate it group. BiS stands for Brand New Idol Society, and currently has five members. Created by the leader of the group, Pour Lui, when she stopped her solo activities, they’re currently signed to Avex. And really, I’d consider them to be anti-idols. Not in a bad way mind you; from what I understand, most of the members love idol acts and respect them a lot. But I mean that in the sense of their profile picture, where they’re making faces. The first thing that grabbed people’s attention about BiS was their first PV, My IXXX, where they run around the woods seemingly naked.

This feels like a really good setup to BiS; not that they’re nude all the time, but that they do what other idols don’t. They have set themselves up as almost the opposite of the standard idol, the antithesis to the big, popular groups. They revel in strangeness, nude PVs, violence and rock music. Not just pop-rock that most rock idols are, heavier metal/rock. Perhaps the most telling thing is their latest album (and first one under Avex): Idol is Dead. They are taking the elements that are standard idol and turning them on their head. They don’t care if you’re uncomfortable.

Even though I wrote all that, I really have trouble following BiS. The music doesn’t appeal to me very much, and it feels less like an organized statement at points as a collection of weird/dark things. Their image doesn’t appeal to me all that much. When I told my friend I had no idea how to start talking about BiS, her one response was “scary.” And they are; there’s a reason they were the ones to kidnap Pinky in Dempagumi.inc’s W.W.D II PV. Honestly, I do think that taking a critical look at the idol industry is a good thing, and it’s interesting to do. For that, I think BiS is doing interesting things. However, their image and sound just doesn’t appeal to me very much. So while BiS may be a group I am interested in, it’s not a group I like as an idol group.

Really, the only thing I can do is say that you should try them out. I can’t say how many of you will actually like BiS, but it’s certainly an experience.

Be Flourish

Be Flourish is a very new group; they made their live debut in April and their single debut in May. Described as a “fresh dance vocal unit,” this three-member unit was formed with the goal to make Japan energetic. Which is I swear the goal for half of the groups at TIF. But I digress.

So far Be Flourish has only released one single, but their second one is coming out at the end of October. So if you’ve ever wanted to start following a new group at the start, it looks like this might be a group to follow. They don’t have many followers on twitter or Youtube views, so they’re really at the start of their career. That said, there isn’t that much of them out there, so that might be a concern.

The biggest thing that interests me is the live clip of Be Brave, the first track off their self-titled first single. They’re performing in front of a live band. I’m not sure if this will be a continuing thing, but it’s a nice touch that sets these girls apart.

I like them. It’s hard to know how successful or how far an idol group will go, but this seems like a nice group. They have nice vocals, and while their dance isn’t the greatest yet they definitely have room to grow. One of the songs off their first single is a cover of the song Pre-Parade which was the opening to the anime Toradora, which I really enjoy, and they do it well. I’m going to keep an eye on these girls.

PPP! PiXiON!

Another funny name! PPP! PiXiON was formed in December 2012 with six members. Their theme is that they’re like a theme park; the members are performers, the staff are the cast, the fans are guests and the lives are called attractions. They aim to get the excitement of a theme park in their live shows. This is not the easiest gimmick, but it’s definitely a cute one.

So far the group’s released two singles, the latest being Geki Splash. Really, listening to their songs, it’s not quite energetic enough to sound like a theme park. Nor is it the kind of music you’d hear walking around at Disney World. Instead, it’s mid tempo, not very memorable idol pop. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s not really the best written idol music out there. Geki Splash, for example, has a lot of pauses and lulls in the music. The only song I’ve heard that really sounds like it should fit in with their theme is Hatsukoi Merry go Round, which is probably their best song.

It’s a new group, so it’s hard to be sure how good they are. And honestly, the theme and music aren’t very compelling so far. That said, the girls are cute, and pretty fun, so if that’s all you’re looking for you might want to watch PPP! PiXiON. I’m not writing them off yet, but they’ve got a ways to go.

Hime Carat

Part band, part idol group, Hime Carat kind of walks the line between both. Formed in 2012 as a band, they added a member and became somewhat an idol unit. So they perform without instruments a lot, but they also play the instruments? Not sure. They had five members but lost one to scandal. So far they’ve put out one single, already as a major debut, which is ‘51%platonic.” They’re putting out their second single in November.

Honestly, the fact they focus on being idols is kind of disappointing. IF they had been idolly in every way except still performing instruments, I would really like that. Instead, they dance and sing for a lot of their performances. That said, I like the idea of a part-idol part-band group; I just wish they focused more on the band side. Disappointing.

That said, 51%Platonic is a pretty good song, and these girls seem to be doing alright, with the major debut. While I am a bit disappointed, I’m interested in what the future holds for Hime Carat.