Review Monday: Tokyo Girls’ Style – Get The Star

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Welcome to my Review Mondays! This week I’m looking at the short PV to Get The Star by Tokyo GIrls’ Style, as suggested by my Facebook friend Ashley. Thanks!

Song:

Immediately I was kind of surprised by this song. TGS usually stays firmly in funk music as a genre, which I really like. However, this has been a bit of a detriment to the group, in my opinion. I know TGS fans LOVE Limited Addiction, and I think a lot of the songs on the album are really good, but sometimes the songs sounded too much alike. This is a song that I would expect more from a rock-focused group like Passpo. I really like this, though; I really value the style that TGS normally goes for, but this is a really good diversion.

The vocals sound REALLY good; I don’t know the members well enough to tell, but the girl who sings the solo at 2:10 (I think that’s Yuri? or Hitomi? I really don’t know this group. If you can’t tell) sounds gorgeous. The members all sound really great, though. TGS’ members have a lot of vocal talent, and it shows here.

Ultimately this is a really solid rock-inspired track with great vocals. Though a bit different from the usual TGS track, it’s a really good song for them. I can’t say this will be one of my top tracks of the year, but I definitely really like this.

PV:

For a group that was promoted as being a big vocal and dance group, this really doesn’t involve dancing. That’s fine by me, though; TGS stands out more vocally than with their dance skills, in my opinion.

This is a fairly simple PV, featuring the TGS members singing in what looks like a rehearsal room, doing a jam session…with really professional lights? It’s probably best not to think about the story of this, but I wonder if the PV would be more effective with a small story arch, even if that’s just them rehearsing and then performing at a concert. Maybe that’s what the full PV will be? I’d just like a little more variety, because this PV is pretty much comprised of TGS singing in a circle, TGS singing in formation, and TGS singing while hanging out on some amps, with a couple of shots of each member looking cool. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I wish it would expand beyond this.

However, this is a really pretty looking PV. Instead of being colorful, it really does a lot with the contrast between black and white to make a really cool looking PV. My only complaint about how the PV looks is that occasionally the girls’ faces are a bit over-lit so that it kind of washes them out (which I’ve noticed a lot with idol PVs), and they could have used less light to create more cool shadow. However, beyond that, I really like the look of this PV. I really love the focus on that darkness and light contrast and it fits really well with the song. It’s not going to be up there with my top PVs of the year, mind you (I already know what that PV is…) but it’s certainly not bad by any means

Verdict:

As someone who doesn’t follow TGS very regularly, this isn’t really going to change my mind to follow them more. However, I do really like the song and the PV, and I think they did a really nice job.

Next Week: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Nanda Collection

If you have a suggestion for a new review, leave a comment!

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 12

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Welcome to TIFriday, my weekly installment of finishing up profiling the guests at this year’s Tokyo Idol Festival!

Tsuribit

Fishing idols! No, not like Watanabe Miyuki. Their literal concept is fishing. They’re a five member unit that was formed this year with girls (between twelve and fifteen) who apparently all like to fish. This is such a cute concept to me, I have to like them.

That said, they were formed only a few months ago, so if you want a group with lots of history it might be tough. However, this may be a good thing, if you want to follow a group from the beginning. They’ve released two singles so far: Start Dash and Manatsu no Tentai Kansoku. For being so new, they have a really good production quality to their music and videos! According to Tokyo Girls’ Update they are produced by a musician and film director, which really adds to their music video quality. Who knows why they were chosen to be a fishing unit, but it’s definitely not the strangest gimmick out there.

All the girls are pretty cute, I think, and I think the theme’s adorable. The music’s definitely not that bad, and they are pretty cute, if unpolished, performers. I’m interested to see where they go from here!

Take Off

Take Off is a four member unit from Osaka, formed in May 2011. The members are all 18-20, which is a bit of an older age range for the very cute image I’m getting. Their goal, much like many other groups, is to make their major debut. So far they’ve put out two singles – Take Off and Run. Run came out this past July, and had three versions. I have to say, Take Off is a really cute name, and one of the better ones out there, especially with their goal of major debut in mind.

One small note is that Take Off has a fairly intuitive website especially if Japanese is your strongest. In my opinion the biggest shame is that their Youtube channel only has one video. However, this is promotion for Run and a short PV, so you can get a taste for the personalities of the girls and for their music. I like Shimatani Fuuko (the one on the far left) and Nishimoto Juri (the one who’s center/right), but they all seem cute and work well together in the first promotional section. Run is a cute song, and they all really light up during the PV. The PV is fairly simple, but all the girls are very charismatic and it doesn’t ever look cheap or bad. The song isn’t revolutionary, but I really like it; perhaps it’s the strings or the melody, but I would definitely like to hear more of the song and more from this group.

Maybe it’s because the more I see of Fuuko and Juri the more I like them, but I really like this group so far. They don’t have any gimmicks, they don’t play up being from Osaka, and they have a fairly normal style, but they’re definitely cute, enthusiastic and look/sound decent despite being a fairly small idol unit. I wish there was more of Take Off out there, because I could see myself becoming a fan!

Techpri

Techpri is an idol unit I’ve definitely heard of before, but for whatever reason I never looked into them. Well, it’s kind of too late now, because it was announced that TIF was their last live performance. So uh, sorry Techpri fans. This is because one of the members had some health problems, however, the other three may continue as a new unit.

Techpri was a four-member idol unit from the Morado Company that did techno pop songs. They had three singles, one mini album, and a best of album appropriately titled “Early Best Sentimental Diamond.” The group was based in Sendai and was also known as “t.c. princess,” with the “t” standing for both “techno” and “Tohoku,” and the “c” standing for “cute, “chance” and “challenge.”

The group that it’s easy to compare Techpri to is Perfume. Perhaps it’s the autotuned vocals, the fact that they have a song “Chocolate Destiny” (that I swore was a cover of Chocolate Disco but actually sounds more like Polyrhythm) and the techno theme, but they often feel like an indie Perfume.

I like Techpri in theory, but it’s hard to follow them now that they’ve disbanded. Hopefully they will be able to have that new unit. I know that Techpri was pretty beloved by some, so sorry to everyone who was a fan.

Telepathy

When I first saw the image with “TP” on it my first thought was “….toilet paper?” But no, instead of promoting a Japanese toilet paper company, the group’s actually Telepathy. Telepathy is a five member idol unit that was formed last October (2012) as the first group from the idol project F.A.R.M. Their description says that some of their points of interest are acrobatics and carrying guitars while performing (though they don’t actually play guitars). This definitely interests me, and I’m really curious to find out more about this unit.

So far Telepathy has released two singles, which is pretty good for being so new. However, they’re limited to live venues, so you’re out of luck if you’re interested in this group. However, their youtube is VERY extensive; they already have 68 videos (as of writing) and a lot of them are full performances, around 20 minutes. So if you like the group, seeing their lives shouldn’t be too hard.

While I was first a bit confused by the gimmick (air guitar idols, seriously?) this seems like a well-produced group. They have nice songs (understandably guitar-heavy, though Kimiyume is nice and mellow) and the girls seem like they’re very gifted, vocally, which is somewhat rare for an indie idol group. I’m still not quite sure about how I feel about the air guitar gimmick (it feels like it’s kind of limiting to their choreography…) but I can definitely see the appeal to this group.

To me, I think the air guitar idea COULD be fun, but strictly adhering to this idea could hurt the group. It feels too much like a gimmick to gain initial interest rather than something that the group could continue using. However, beyond this gimmick the group seems polished and interesting. I don’t know if they grabbed me in any lasting way, but they definitely have my interest, to see if the group can go anywhere.

Tokyo Girls’ Style

Ohhh TGS. TGS is one of those groups where I feel like I SHOULD love them, and that I totally get why they’re loved, but they just don’t grab me. Formed in 2010, TGS was the first idol group produced by Avex in years, and was compared very early on to SweetS, Avex’s last major effort in the idol genre before TGS and then the iDOL Street. Which really is an unfair comparison, especially since I heard it right when the pictures of the members were first being released (Love Like Candy Floss is one of my all-time favorite idol songs, so this is a huge hurdle). I personally found Kirari and Onnaji Kimochi disappointing, especially in comparison, and early sales weren’t that great. However, TGS has grown to being a really respectable idol group, with decent sales (they even had a concert at the Budokan!), and IMO better songs. They’ve really gotten a cool funk/disco style in a way that no other idol group really does it.

The group has five members (all between 15-17) and have released a steady stream of stuff since 2010. If you follow idols closely, you really owe it to yourself to give TGS a shot, since they really are a prolific and major idol group on the scene right now. I definitely really respect and like a lot of their music, but for whatever reason I have a hard time getting attached to the group itself.

So yeah, if you haven’t heard of TGS for whatever reason, give them a shot, because I consider them one of the major idol acts out there right now.

Happy Disco 2.0 (or is it 3.0 at this point)

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When Ray announced that Idolminded was going on hiatus, one of the things that popped in my head was “ok, I guess I’m not going to be getting views.” I don’t want to sound like I’m doing it for the views or reads, or anything like that, but it is something I pay attention to, and I know that the vast amount of my views come from Idolminded (though one time a Japanese music writer linked me, that was pretty cool).

That said, it got me to thinking about how I’m running my blog, especially since I’m at the point where I’m doing a retail job waiting for a real one. Early this year I described a new Happy Disco, one with regular content on a schedule. And I failed pretty miserably. To be absolutely fair, that was my fault for getting ambitious while working on my last semester of college and my final thesis. But I digress.

Here’s the plan for what I’m going to try to do from here on out.

1. New Banner – I’ve had this one for some time and it’s time for something fresh.

2. Smaller, more frequent posts. I think my biggest issue is my long-windedness, and while I think that’s something I do well (I cover things in-depth) it’s also a flaw that prevents me from being a better blogger. I’m going to work on this.

3. A schedule. Here’s what I have in mind so far.

Monday – Review Mondays – I review an album, release, whatever. It can be present, past, whatever I want.

Wednesday – Idol Thoughts. This is a new segment I’ve been thinking of for a while. Every week I’ll post a thought about the idol industry, a group, what have you, and I’ll write something about it. Throughout the week I’ll encourage people to write in and contribute their own ideas in the comments and on Facebook/twitter. Then, next Wednesday, I’ll make a post compiling common/interesting answers. Hopefully this will work out, because this is something I’m excited about!

Friday – TIFriday. I’m going to finish up my TIF posts, finally, profiling the groups. After I finish this I’ll come up with something else to fill up the timeslot.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment! I’m excited to see where this takes off!

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 11

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TIF is going on as I write! I’m going to finish all the acts while watching the footage coming out, and then write my thoughts on that.

Daiya☆Mondo

This is a local group hailing from Tottori prefecture! Their name has that star in it, but otherwise the name is Diamond. They’re a three member unit that, according to their TIF bio, debuted about a year ago. One thing they mentioned in their description which I think is really important is that they’re excited to come to Tokyo. A lot of the groups in TIF are local groups, who mostly perform in their own town or prefecture. TIF allows a lot of idols to get more recognition on a national (and, by extension, international) basis.

Daiya Mondo is made up of three girls, Haruhi, Kanako and Yurina. They all have blogs and twitter accounts, but I don’t see much of an official web presence for them. As such, I don’t think there’s much in the way of singles for them. However, there’s a surprising amount of stuff online about Daiya Mondo on Youtube, including 20+ minute live shows. And from what I’ve seen, I like them. Yeah, their name and lack of online presence makes finding stuff about them a little tricky. However, they have a really nice energy about them.

Daiya Mondo doesn’t have any big gimmicks, and they’re a bit tricky to follow as an international fan, as is the case with many local idol groups. But I really like them so far, and I hope to hear more from them!

Takokusekigun

It’s another group I covered last year! Takokusekigun means coalition forces in Japanese, and it fits; this is a group full of members who are half-Japanese, half-something else. One member is fully Japnaese, another is half Thai, and another is half Filipino. So while it’s definitely a Japanese idol group, Takokusekigun aims to be a much more multinational group, something I think is really interesting and that doesn’t get done too often. This is a three-member group with members around 20-years old. The group’s theme is ‘love’ (which is the case with many idol groups, really), but they do put either love or “ai” or something in their song titles. So they do run with it.

Even though you probably haven’t heard of them, they’re putting out their 7th single this week! It’s a double A-side, Ai no Kankyou Kenkyuu Center and Manatsu no Sora no Iro. While they do have a fairly generic sound, I really like Manatsu no Sora no Iro. The group has really improved in my opinion since last year’s TIF, which is a really good thing! Their live performance skills have also improved, though no one in the group is particularly talented at singing or dancing. They’ve come a long way since last year.

Personally, I still find them a bit hard to get into, mostly because of the music (being pretty generic) and that said music doesn’t really allow for really energizing performances from the group. That said, I love the concept that it’s full of international flavor, and I really hope they do well in the future.

Dancing Dolls

I’ve heard of them, but haven’t really paid them much attention! Dancing Dolls is a five member unit from Osaka, all childhood friends. They started performing on their own, writing their own songs and forming this group, uploading dance covers to Youtube and Nico Nico Douga. Last year they signed with Sony and have started releasing singles! So far they’ve put out three singles, with their latest, DD Jump, just out this week. DD Jump is actually a really good take on Morning Musume’s Love Machine; they took the basic song and completely remixed it to be more of a dance/club track. And I LOVE it.

This is one of my favorite things of the year so far. It’s catchy and a fresh take on a song that I’ve honestly heard way too many times, as a Morning Musume fan. This is really fresh sounding, catchy and fun. The PV’s really well made, and all the girls have a lot of charisma and energy. After seeing this, I immediately went to check out some of their other PVs, because I’m really excited about this group. Everything from how they were formed to their self-sufficient nature to just how strong performers they are. I’m really excited about this group, and I’m glad I investigated them through Tokyo Idol Festival.

I’m still new to Dancing Dolls, but you should definitely check them out. I can see bright things for this group!

Cheeky Parade

The other Avex iDOL STREET group! Cheeky Parade was formed in 2012 and has nine members. They put out one indies single, Cheeky Dreamer, and had to sell all 5000 copies of it before they could make their major debut. They made it, and have since put out two singles, Bunbun Nine9’and C.P.U!?. They’re putting out another single in September.

Whereas Super Girls is a very typically idol unit, Cheeky Parade has a bit of a rougher edge and are a lot more rock-inspired. They remind me a bit more of Passpo, if anything, just based off having a rock-inspired (but still very pop) sound for idols. Since this group is avex they’re obviously pretty polished, and have really good dance skills.

Much like Super Girls, while they haven’t quite grabbed me like other idol units, I recognize they’re a good unit. However, I really prefer Cheeky Parade over Super Girls. Maybe it’s that little edge they have to them, but they’re quickly establishing themselves as an idol unit, and I’m interested to see where they go in the future!

KiraLyra Heart

From what I can tell the full name of this unit is “Chou Animekei Bishoujo Unit KiraLyra Heart. This gives you a bit of an idea of their aesthetic, as they’re definitely anime-influenced in their look. They’re a three member unit… and it’s hard to tell more. Their website is honestly bizarre, demanding registration for basic things. If anyone can figure out their site, please comment; I’m having trouble here!

According to Facebook, they’re more centered around Nico Nico Douga, where they’re apparently a crossover unit with Miku Miku Dance. So they’re really going for an anime aesthetic here! They’ve put out one single, Hayate Girl, so far, and I think they’re a pretty new group.

If you really like the Vocaloid look, this may be a unit to look into. However, to me they’re a bit too difficult to put in this effort. Hayate Girl is a pretty good song, but I just don’t care enough about Vocaloid stuff.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts Part 10

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SUPRE★POWER

Supre Power is a unit with the concept of “Asian Beat” that was formed in 2010. The first thing I thought of with this group was “KPop” and apparently that is part of their goal: performing internationally. Jinny, the center member, has apparently made a solo debut in South Korea and has done a lot of traveling. Supre Power as a group has performed in Taiwan, so they’re aiming to be more of an Asian pop group rather than a JPop group.

Currently the group has four members: Rin, Anna, Jinny and Sarah, who are all in their early-mid twenties. They’ve already performed on TV and done a solo live concert already, which makes them a fairly accomplished group. However, I don’t think they’ve put out any singles or albums yet.

I like them; the few performances they have online are pretty good, and there’s a lot of potential. I personally don’t listen to a lot of KPop and can’t see myself following them much more, but if you’re really into the Kpop style of music and performance, this could be a group you might like.

SUPER☆GiRLS

I’ll be brief with Super Girls, since I’ve talked about the rest of the Idol Street groups. Basically, Super Girls is the flagship idol unit from Avex’s Idol Street, which really was a pretty unprecedented move by Avex. Created in 2010, Super Girls was created as a direct competition to AKB48; at their first press conference, they talked a lot about trying to compete with AKB. Currently they have 10 members, after one graduated and the other left in scandal.

Super Girls is definitely up there in terms of well-known idol units; I’d say they’re the next on the list after 48/46, Hello!Project and Stardust. Their latest single, Tokonatsu Hightouch, sold over 75000 copies in its first week, an impressive number. They’ve really made a name for themselves as a successful idol group backed by Avex. While Tokyo Girls’ Style, Avex’s first idol unit in years, has maintained a lot of the style I’d expect from an avex group, Super Girls are pure idols.

Personally, I have some issues with how the group is run and with how the younger girls are presented within the group. However, these are personal issues, and Super Girls stands as a really solid group with a high production value. If you haven’t already checked out Super Girls by now, you may want to check them out, because they’re becoming a force in the idol world.

Spangirl

This image already got me interested; if their TIF profile pic is this wacky, imagine what the group itself will be like! Spangirl is a five member unit from Gunma prefecture, and it sounds like their goal is to promote Gunma as much as possible. By looking on their website (http://spangirl.com/) it looks like they have a very strong social media presence, which is a really great asset for many of these indie idol groups. The girls themselves are all on twitter as well, so that’s helpful for international fans! They’ve released one single, Yukemuri Bishoujo, which they put out last winter.

They’re still a fairly new group, but I like them; I have a soft spot for local idols, and this seems like a fun, silly group. Yukemuri Bishoujo’s a pretty good song for such a small group, and I really like this group’s vibe. I’m actually planning on linking the PV making of, because I think they’re really at their best when they’re silly and fun.

Ultimately, it’s a bit tough to tell right away about a group. However, my first impression of Spangirl’s a really good one, and I wish them the best.

Through Skills

I follow a lot of people on twitter. One of the biggest reasons is because I tend to follow every indie idol act I come across. This group might be the biggest group to follow as an active twitter user; Through Skills was formed via twitter. All the members are active on twitter, and it seems to be an internet savvy group!

Unfortunately, their twitter participation is where their internet savvy ends. Their website is barely functional and finding more stuff on them online is very difficult. Which is unfortunate, because I’m very intrigued by the little I’ve seen.

I think tif they could get their act together, Through Skills could be a good unit. But it’s just a matter of getting it organized well, and I don’t trust that that will happen.

Sexy All Sisters

OH MAN IT’S THAT TIME.

I don’t know why I love talking about Sexy All Sisters, but something about the group intrigues me. It’s mostly just how blatant they all are; they’re a fanservice group. They know it, their fans know it. There’s nothing subtle about Sexy All Sisters; they’re going to sing about boobs, and do so with gusto.

However, I don’t know how the group is going. Last I checked they haven’t put out stuff in years, and this year’s TIF pic is only one member, not the multitude of fanservice groups we know and love. Their website is defunct, as well. What is the fate of Sexy All Sisters? 🙁

Since I don’t know, I’ll link my favorite song by them and hope that news comes soon.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 9

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Sun-μ

Sun-myu is the idol group from Sun Music (clever, I know) with the concept of the “first pure idols of the 21st century.” By pure they mean that they want to have more of a showa era idol appeal, which is great for people who miss that type of idol. Formed in 2012, the initial concept of Sun-myu was that they were a beginner group, airing a lot of their training on their Nico Nico Douga channel (though now they’re discovering more of Youtube). This is a really great thing for people who like brand new/indie idols.

Recently they released their latest single, a cover of the JITTERIN’ JINN classic Natsu Matsuri, which is pretty much one of my favorite songs of all time. And they actually do a really good job of it. Watching their PV preview, they don’t seem like pure beginners, but do a really good job at this song. At first this seems like a standard arrangement of the song, but actually deviates in a pretty good way. I don’t think this will ever beat the original, but the original is so good that this is good by default.

I don’t see quite as much on Sun-myu’s stuff about being pure beginners anymore, but I’m assuming that’s because they’re surprisingly polished. The performances I see in Natsu Matsuri are very good. It feels a bit too polished for a beginner group. Still, if you want to go back, it may be easy to see their growth. They posted a lot HERE on Nico Nico Douga and on their YouTube (which I will link later). This is more footage than a lot of indie acts get!

I like them. They’re not the most interesting group, but there are eight really cute, now polished members who performed one of my favorite songs. I’m going to keep an eye out for Sun-myu in the future!

JK21

JK21 stands for Japan Kansai 21, with 21 being the 21st Century. This group has been appearing at TIF since I started covering it. They formed in 2008 and made their major debut in 2010. Currently they have 7 members, which means that there are some new girls since last year! Probably their biggest claim to fame is being the group to do a Hanshin Tigers theme song “Win! Win! Tigers!” so if you follow baseball at all JK21 might be the group for you.

They haven’t put out anything new since last TIF; their most recent single came out in March 2012. However, they’re putting out an album on July 30th, “Lucky Tripper ~Sorezore no Natsu~” so they’re clearly pretty active. Other than that, there’s not too much else about them. They’re pretty cute and have solid music, despite their inactivity. If what you want is a pretty standard idol group it might be good to follow them, but there’s nothing that extraordinary about them.

GEM

Here’s a group I’m sure a lot of you should be pretty familiar with! GEM stands for Girls Entertainment Mixture and they’re the third group to come from Avex’s iDOL STREET, and is made up of former Idol Street Sei trainees. They’re a fairly new group that was formed late last year/early this year and their only release has been on a Street sei album (I’m taking this from the avex site; if I’m wrong please correct me!). They have ten members whose ages range from 14 to 20, so much Super Girls this is a pretty varied group, age-wise.

Other than that, they haven’t done all that much. They officially confirmed their members in June, have a few original songs but no singles yet, and are still new. However, since they’re avex, it’s reasonable to expect a good group with high quality releases. Personally, I don’t follow any of the iDOL STREET groups all that much and I don’t seek out avex groups. However, both Super Girls and Cheeky Parade are solid groups, so GEM should be, as well.

From their first big video “Speed Up” it looks like they’re going for a polished look, with a cooler feel. There’s definitely both dance and vocal skill here, and for being so new GEM is pretty polished already.

Personally, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to get into them, all things considered, but if you’re a Super Girls or Cheeky Parade fan this is a group to follow.

G☆Girls

G stands for Gravure. So right off the bat you know what you’re getting into with them. An idol group by the gravure magazine FLASH, G Girls’ goal is to bring the charm of gravure into their singing and dancing. So for anybody who’s really into gravure idols, this may be a good group for you. To be honest, I don’t follow the world of gravure all that much, so I don’t know how recognizable these girls may be. They have people who entered the Miss Flash Grand Prix contest in 2011 and in 2013, so they may be well-known. As of last year when I covered them all the girls were over 18, and thus wanted to do a sexier, more adult performance.

Last year there were 9 members; now there are five. I don’t know if these girls are all new (at least one has joined, and she’s the first profile listed), but it appears there’s a pretty big turnover rate. All the girls are very pretty, as you would expect from a gravure-centric unit. They’ve released one new single since last TiF, Tik Tok (Ke$ha?), which came out right around last year’s TIF, so I don’t know how many of them are still in it. Tik Tok is a pretty enjoyable track, if a bit forgettable, which is focusing on being a cooler single than their first one.

Ultimately, with this group you know what you’re going to get. Like gravure? You’ll probably be cool with this group. If you don’t care about gravure? It’s probably not for you.

Shizukaze & Kizuna~KIZUNA~

Take one duo unit of Shizukaze, add sister unit Kizuna ~KIZUNA~, and you get Shizukaze & Kizuna! One thing this group is very proud of is that they’ve gone to every TIF since 2010 when it started, a pretty impressive feat given how relatively small TIF 2010 was. (this is also the unit that has the C-side Yellow Fuckin’ Idol, which may be one of the best idol song names ever).

They’ve put out three singles as Shizukaze & Kizuna; their most recent one, Tsukushinbou, had two song versions: idol version and rock version (since Shizukaze & Kizuna is a self-proclaimed rock unit, this actually makes sense. Last year I noted that their vocals didn’t sound the greatest live, but on the recorded version of this track they actually sound really great. I actually really like Tsukushinbou (rock version); it’s a really nice track, and the chorus sounds really great with some harmonies. This song/PV really makes them feel like rock idols as opposed to an idol group with rock inspiration.

If you like rock  music or if you like idols with different music/sensibilities than typical idol stuff, you really should check them out. They’re really growing on me as a group, and have improved a lot over the years.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 8

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HKT48

This was a surprise, recent announcement! Last year SKE48 showed up at TIF, and now HKT48 has been announced. I’m not going to go into too much detail, but here’s a bit about HKT.

HKT48 is the most recent addition to the Japanese 48 group. They hail from Fukuoka, with HKT48 coming from HaKaTa. Their most notable member is Sashihara Rino, who was transferred there after a scandal, though they had more members rank in this year’s AKB48 Senbatsu Election. They’ve released one single so far, Suki Suki Skip, though they’re set to release their second one soon. They’ve gotten some notice for their appearance on variety shows, such as their own HaKaTa Hyakkaten.

I really think this is a good move. Having a 48 group appear at TIF seems a bit odd, but at this point HKT is really only known for Sasshi, especially for people who don’t follow the 48 groups. SKE48 felt a bit odd as a TIF group, but this feels a lot more in line with the goals of TIF.

HKT48 is personally my favorite 48 group. One of my oshimen is there (Oota Aika), the members are all really entertaining and amusing, and they’re really fun to watch perform. If you aren’t into 48 groups, I’d suggest giving HKT48 a try. They’re really fun, and since they’re new a little easier to get into than the others.

Sakuragi Seira

Seira (or Seila or Seilah) is a soloist who fans of Stardust groups ought to know; she’s the one idol soloist in their Section 3B with MomoClo, Ebichu and Syachihoko. Seira is a 20-year-old singer who seems a lot more like an artist than an idol, since she plays guitar. She’s been active since 2008. Last year I noted that her last video was from 2011, so she hadn’t been doing all that much. However, since last year, she’s gotten an updated website and she put out her debut single this spring. She’s also gotten some magazine and radio work, and is doing more events. Since the only thing Seira had before was a live-only single and some Youtube videos, it’s great to see she’s gotten promotion.

Her first single, Amelia, is the theme for the TV Tokyo show Piramekino, so I’m happy to see her get some more exposure. Seira totally deserves this exposure. She has a lovely voice, she’s very pretty, and has a good presence. It’s great to see guitar-playing idols or female artists, so I’m glad to see her.

If you’re interested in Seira, unfortunately there’s not THAT much about her online. There’s her Amelia PV and some older things from years ago. So you’ll just have to enjoy her older stuff and Amelia. I really hope TIF this year can help propel her career further, because I like her a lot!

S★UTHERN CROSS

I don’t know much about Southern Cross except for their name! They’re a Kyushu idol group, located in Kagoshima, and I know them because this is the same island as Fukuoka, where a lot of idol groups I like are. Southern Cross was formed in 2011, and now consists of 10 members. They are also from Stardust Promotion, something I didn’t even know until now.

The group has been on one compilation CD and has released one single, “Chest! Genki no Shirushi,” which came out sometime in 2011. In addition, they have two other original songs, “I Will” and “Nagareboshi,” and they also cover AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, Momoiro Clover Z and Super Girls.

Despite being around for around two years, they’re still fairly new, and there’s not that much out about them. However, hopefully since they’re a Stardust group, TIF can get them more exposure and they can start doing more. They seem to be a fun, energetic group, and while I wasn’t initially impressed by their performance of “Chest Genki no Shirushi,” I really liked their performance of “I Will” that I saw. They’ve improved in that year, and hopefully they’ll improve even more.

The Possible

OK, I love this is romanized as “The Possibooooooo.”

The Possible was originally a six member group comprised of girls from the Hello!Project eggs, who were formed into a group (my favorite member, Ohse Kaede, has sadly left). For a while The Possible was a part of Hello!Project, but then they were brought over to be the flagship unit of Tsunku’s Nice Girl Project on his TNX label. They put out a lot of really great music (Love Message is my favorite, but I love Kaze no Uwasa too), and while their sales were alright, I doubt they were as good as Tsunku hoped. Around 2009/2010 their activity slowed, and I thought that they were done.

However, in 2012, they suddenly started releasing new stuff, putting out a new album (2 Shiawase no Akashi) and a new single (Nanja Korya). Suddenly, The Possible has been getting a lot of promotion. Recently they put out another single, “Zenryoku Banzai! My Glory!” and their sales have increased dramatically from Nanja Korya to Zenrokyu Banzai. While I thought that Nice Girl Project was pretty much over (to be fair, NGP doesn’t really have much beyond The Possible and the NGP trainees), The Possible seems to be shaping up. I’m not a big fan of Nanja Korya, but Zenryoku Banzai is actually a pretty good song.

Can The Possible become a big group? Not too sure. They’d have to work a LOT to make that happen, and I’m not sure that Tsunku can pull it off. However, they seem to be doing a lot better than I thought they would. They’re performing a lot, just released a solid single, and are appearing at TIF again this year. Personally, I don’t know how much I’ll follow them; I really liked Kaede, but now she’s gone I don’t have a personal attachment to the group. However, they’re all pretty good performers with nice voices. If you like Tsunku’s music and style a lot, you really should check out NGP stuff.

Sanspo Idol Reporter

Sanspo Idol Reporter is another idol group with an interesting gimmick. They were created by the newspaper Sanspo, specifically for the pachinko information magazine. All the girls thus had to be both idols and working as reporters for the Sanspo magazine. Thus, they had a radio show and that kind of exposure before they started their music career. Last year I thought they reported on idol groups, but now I think it’s more about pachinko. Still, it’s a pretty fun gimmick, even if I have no interest in pachinko.

Last year they hadn’t released much; however, now it seems they’ve released a few singles, a mini album, and now a bit single/PV “Power Chance Call” to promote pachinko. Despite being just a promotinal song, I actually really like it. The girls are really engaging in the PV, the song’s fun and catchy (with a bit of an epic feel), and I really like the PV in all its pachinko glory. All the videos I’ve sen of these girls show them to be interesting, fun and engaging idols.

They’re still fairly new; while they’ve released a decent amount in Japan, Power Chance Call is the only PV I’ve seen. However, if you like the gimmick, you ought to check them out. I love Power Chance Call a lot, and I’ve been convinced to watch out for them in the future!

On being an International Wota…

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When I was a freshman in college, I lived with a roommate that I hadn’t met before. She was nice, and we got along very well, but we weren’t really close friends ever. One day, I got my first photobook in the mail. It was Tokunaga Chinami’s photobook, and I was very excited to get it. However, it prompted an awkward exchange, with my roommate asking me “How old is she?” and my mumbled “Seventeen…” as a response. I explained that she was a singer in Japan and that I was her fan, but it was still awkward.

The reason I mention this is because of a post HERE on New School Kaidan, where NSK’s Yoshi describes keeping his idol fandom a secret, to the point where it affects how he interacts with people. It’s an interesting read, and I’m sure  many can relate.

When I first saw this, at first I thought I couldn’t relate much at all. I’m fairly open about my interests with my family and close friends, and the people who know me well know about idols. I have idol-related things lying around my house, where I still live with my parents and sister, for example, and my room has idol posters up too.

However, the more I thought, the more I realized I could relate. One thing I’ve been glad about with my idol fandom is that I’m female. While male idol fans are the norm in Japan, the connotation is different in the US. While I think this is wholely unfair, and there’s nothing wrong about being an idol fan, regardless of your gender or age, it’s the truth.

Further, in a weird way a big part of why I blog and why I’ve done academics with idols is that it makes it easier to justify. Oh, I just spent a lot of money and time on idols? Don’t worry, I think about this stuff critically. I legitimately love blogging and I’m glad I spend my time on Happy Disco, Idolminded and now Pure Idol Heart, but I’d be lying to say it hasn’t helped me in this way. I also wonder, as I age, if this rationalization will become a bigger part of my explanation to people I meet. “I really like Japanese girl groups…. but it’s OK, I blog about them.”

Ideally, I want to say that people should like what they like. While being an idol fan has affected me in this way, I don’t regret loving idol singers, and I can’t see that changing any time soon, no matter what people think of my interests and my hobby. However, people do look at it differently, and so you might find yourself having to justify your hobby. It’s frustrating, but that’s the way it is, and I can’t see it changing any time soon.

On Otsuka Aina

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This isn’t going to be as long as my normal posts. I wasn’t planning on covering this, because I’m attending a convention this weekend and I don’t really follow Juice=Juice all that much other than following their basic single stuff, but some of the discourse surrounding this announcement made me want to briefly write something.

If you haven’t heard yet by now, Otsuka Aina is leaving the new H!P group Juice=Juice. Chiima of Okay!Musume Time posted a translation from Hello!Online on her blog HERE, but the gist of the announcement is that there were some contract issues, and her family decided Aina wasn’t continuing on.

1. Aina’s parents aren’t the worst parents ever. I know there’s a lot of hyperbole thrown around surrounding this and you probably aren’t really wishing all these bad things upon them. At the same time, I just want to be the person to remind you that there are worse parents out there.

2. I know that graduations suck, especially ones without much notice. H!P’s had issues with that especially with the S/Mileage gradutions and now Aina. However, it’s not personally a decision made against you, it’s a decision made with Aina in mind. You may not agree, but we don’t know all the factors.

3. Being an idol is hard. I know Aina’s been an Egg for a while, but seriously, being an idol is time consuming, wearing on the body, and mentally taxing. While they’ve been easing J=J into it, now that they’re making their major debut I imagine they’re going to try to push these girls harder and harder, and some girls just can’t do it. Not at any fault of their own, but it’s just hard, with not that much financial gain (they don’t make THAT much, especially in relation to Western celebrities), and not much job security. There are a lot of benefits to being an idol, but it’s a lot of work and it’s just flat out difficult, and I don’t blame girls for graduating, even if it’s hard on us fans.

4. Speculation has been that there may be more than meets the eye, and I think that’s fair. I mean, let’s  be real, we don’t know everything that goes on. If they were unable to reach an agreement on the contract and it just ran out, that sounds fairly unprofessional on Up-Front’s part. If it’s about money, you pay money for your Egg training, from what I understand, so I doubt that it’s a big financial issue of not making enough. Also, you’d think they’d figure out contracts and things ahead of time, so you can have graduation events and things. With how hasty things have gone, I wouldn’t be surprised if something is behind this.

Not sure my main point, other than just be careful with generalizations, there might be more things at play, and you should think about the idol. That said, I’ll be sad to see Aina go because she was a really great addition to J=J, and I know she had fans who loved her a lot. I wish her the best in the future.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 7

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Ayaman Japan

Ahh, Ayaman Japan, we meet again. This picture may look innocent, but Ayaman Japan’s performance at last year’s TIF club night was probably the most explicit NSFW performance at the show.

Ayaman Japan is a unit of around 100 girls, who perform at party events only if you know a member. All the members were brought in by the Ayaman director, who is the girl in the center of the above picture. In the past, only three girls did media appearances, but now there are five in that picture.

While Ayaman Japan does those party appearances as their primary thing, they’ve released three singles and one album, in 2010 and 2011. They haven’t put out anything recent since last year’s TIF, but perhaps the promo image suggests they’ll put out something else? A lot of their songs seem to be almost playing off the idol genre, singing cutesy-sounding songs while insinuating lewd acts. Their third single is clearly a parody of AKB48’s Heavy Rotation, for example. While they’ve done more songs, their first single ‘Poi Poi Poi Popoi Poi Popiii’ is their most famous song.

I personally find them pretty amusing. They’re not trying to be taken seriously as idols, but they’re poking fun at the genre and also subverting traditional gender roles, which I’m all for. For everyone who might be worried about Ayaman performing with younger idols, last year they pretty much just showed up at the late night adult-themed show, so no worries.

Izukoneko

Izukoneko is a soloist, who is described as an “idol-like artist,” meaning that she’s categorized more as a solo artist rather than an idol. Which I would say is pretty accurate, given the fact she doesn’t sound much like a traditional idol.

Since last year she’s been a fairly busy singer. Last August she put out her first album, she put out a new EP this January and in March she put out a live CD. Last year for my TIF post I noted that Izukoneko came across much better live than in her PVs, so this seems like a really good move.

I like Izukoneko a lot, but I think whether you’ll like her or not depends a lot on what kind of music you like. Did you like the music that I posted from Oomori Seiko? If so, you may like Izukoneko. She has a very different voice from Seiko, but there is definitely a really great indie sensibility to Izukoneko’s style and music. Live, Izukoneko shines. She looks really confident on stage, has a lovely voice, and even leads the audience in an Izukoneko-version of the standard wota MIX.

So if you want some music that’s not your usual idol music from an energetic and strong performer, give Izukoneko a try.

X21

…

?

No, it’s not the X-Men character (I’m so sorry, I really had to make that joke). These are 21 girls (average age of 14) who were finalists for the 13th National Beautiful Girl contest, a fairly well-known pageant. So if you like girls who are considered to be beautiful by Japanese standards, you might want to take a look at this group. These girls debuted as a group in January, and since then have started getting radio and television appearances already.

Since they’re so new, there’s not all that much about them. Their website already has a good deal of information; profiles of the girls, details about various events they’ve had, fanclub information, etc. They’ve clearly gotten this group up and running really quickly, so it’ll be interesting to see how far they can go. The leader, Yoshimoto Miyu, has already released her first photobook, so it seems like they’re really going to focus on the gravure/photobook route, which makes sense considering they’re a group centered around a beauty pageant.

They don’t seem to have any singles out or any performances online (from what I could find), so if music and performance is important to you you might want to wait on X21. However, if what you want is adorable girls being adorable, X21 is definitely an option.

Kotone Mai

Mainya! Kotone Mai has been an idol since 2009 when she moved alone to Tokyo, and is one of the most hard-working girls in the business. She’s performs about 300 times a year, which is something that has drawn in fans. She’s put out six singles, and since the last TIF she’s put out her first album. In August, she’s making her major label debut with her single ‘Bang Bang Koteki Samba’, which is a really excellent move for Mainya. I admire her work ethic, so I’m excited for her. A famous comedian, Gekidan Hitori, has said Mai is going to become popular soon. This news about her major debut shows that she’s working towards that goal.

If what you value is work ethic and idols who love idols, Mainya might be your girl. If vocal strength is what you value, you may want to look elsewhere. Mainya has a high pitched voice that could be polarizing to many. However, she’s improved a great deal and has nice vocal control. In addition, she’s a great performer, considering all the practice she gets, so if stage presence matters to you, you might want to check out Mainya.

All in all I’m very happy for her major debut, and I want to follow her more in the future! Her work ethic and enthusiasm for what she does is inspiring, and is definitely worthy of attention.

Sakura Gakuin

Here’s a group many of you should know! While many people know Sakura Gakuin as “that one group Babymetal came from,” they’re a really strong group you should be paying attention to, metal subunit or no.

Sakura Gakuin is a middle-school themed group, with their albums featuring their many subgroups as “clubs.” There’s Babymetal, there’s the science club, the cooking club, the tennis club, etc. Every year they release a new album in the spring, and because of these subgroups the albums are varied in style.

The middle school theme goes beyond these clubs; they’re a group that enforces graduations when the girls leave middle school. This means popular members like Babymetal frontgirl Nakamoto Suzuka have to graduate once they get to be too old. Personally I’m not very fond of this rule; my favorite member in Babymetal and Sakura Gakuin is Mizuno Yui, and when she graduates I don’t know how interested I’ll stay in Sakura Gakuin. However, for those who prefer younger idols and like the middle school image of Sakura Gakuin, it’s a good thing. So really, it’s up for you to decide whether you like this system or not.

Regardless of this system, Sakura Gakuin is a very good group. The members are entertaining and talented, and Sakura Gakuin’s music is very nice. I’m particularly fond of Verishuvi and Wonderful Journey, but their latest single was My Graduation Toss, a rock-inspired song. I honestly think the only thing holding me back from being a more serious fan of the group is the enforced graduation rule. However, if you can get past that, you really ought to be following Sakura Gakuin.