My Top 15 Songs of 2013 (So Far)

Posted on July 1, 2013 by serenyty

It’s hard to believe 2013 is about halfway over! And so, it’s a good time to look back on the year in idol music, as well as pick some of my favorite songs of the year.

The idol boom has been going on since late 2009/early 2010, and I keep expecting idol groups to suddenly start disbanding or fade into obscurity. However, things are going better than ever, all things considered. AKB48 broke records and sold massive amounts with Sayonara Crawl, Momoiro Clover Z keeps climbing up, and even Hello!Project groups are doing very well. Indie groups are growing more popular, and gaining traction. Groups are becoming diverse, with alternative acts like BiS, Alice Project and Babymetal growing in popularity. Honestly, I can’t think of a better time to be an idol fan, based almost entirely on how many groups there are out there. There are a lot of groups I’m not even putting on this list but are really good groups.

And so, my top 15 songs of the first half of 2013. Note that this is just songs that have been on a release through the end of June; Koisuru Fortune Cookie’s going to end up pretty high on my full list of the year. Honorable mention goes to Oomori Seiko’s Mahou ga Tsukaenai; not quite sure I’d classify her as an idol, but I love this song to pieces.

15. Watashi ga Iu Mae ni　Dakishimenakya – Juice=Juice

Can I put a song on this list for one sentence? If so, that sentence is “just listen to that saxophone!” Because seriously, I love every second that a saxophone plays in this song.

In all honestly, I wasn’t sure about how I’d feel about Juice=Juice. I didn’t follow any of the Eggs/Kenshuusei that made the group, and I hadn’t seen the hype about Karin. I thought (and still do) the name was silly to a fault. The early pictures had all the girls in white and it looked kind of boring. And while I’m not quite sure if I’ll ever be a super fan of Juice=Juice, I am a huge fan of Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya.

While I was just being silly with what I was saying about the saxophone, that’s actually pretty close. The sound’s so unique, and I can’t think of another idol song like it. Underneath, Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya isn’t that unique of a song. It reminds me strangely of Melon Kinenbi’s Amai Anata no Aji but sped up. The structure feels kind of similar, as does the tune (though I definitely don’t mind H!P bringing back Melon Kinenbi songs). I don’t think Juice=Juice is anything like Melon Kinenbi, mind you, but the overall song isn’t completely new. However, the entire thing put together with the saxophone arrangement, it feels fresh and interesting.

So yes this song is pretty much on my list because of the sax.

14. Kawasaki Junjou Ondo – Kawasaki Junjou Komachi

As I’ll be writing a bit more about later, I love songs where there’s a lot of genre fusion. While I like standard idol pop songs, there’s something really interesting about putting together genres like that.

Kawasaki Junjou Komachi is a group you probably haven’t heard of, unless you follow Tokyo Idol Festival and/or read my TIF posts religiously. But I found them from doing my TIF research posts, and was initially unimpressed by their concept of promoting Kawasaki, mostly because another group I wrote about had a very similar concept. However, Kawasaki Junjou Komachi really shines with their music and performances, the music being a really excellent fusion of traditional sounds with a modern pop sensibility, complete with a rap section. I don’t know Japanese instruments enough to tell, but it sounds like they’re using a lot of traditional instruments in there. In addition, it’s really catchy and fun to listen to and the vocals are really mature and lovely.

I think another reason I’m so impressed by Kawasaki Junjou Ondo is just how good it is for a local indie group. Lots of great music comes from indie idols, and I don’t want to put down indie idols. However, this is the type of song I would be very impressed if I heard it from a big, major label act. If KJK is able to continue this really great mix of traditional and pop and have this general level of quality, I predict they could grow and grow in popularity.

13. Brainstorming – Morning Musume

Late last year and early this year was when I first started to like Morning Musume again. I became a fan of Ishida Ayumi, I started liking (but not necessarily loving) the music, the other new members grew on me. I didn’t like the Help Me! PV, and the song was good, but I didn’t quite love it. However, because of Ayumi, I decided to listen to and watch Brainstorming as soon as I could. And I couldn’t get enough of it.

I think the biggest strength of Brainstorming is how fired up it works to get you. The instrumental works together with the vocals very well to make sure that there’s always something going on. Even in the slower solos (i.e. the solos Sakura does), there’s stuff going in the background. While Morning Musume has used dubstep influenced sound in Renai Hunter, and I really enjoy that song a lot, here the sound feels really integrated.

While I’m one of those people that misses old school Morning Musume a lot, really one of the strengths is in the arrangement. One of the biggest thing that makes me dislike a song is when the instrumental falls flat, and feels empty. Here, that’s not a problem, with so much going on in the back. However, nothing feels extraneous. There’s a lot going on throughout the song, but it feels warranted.

It’s also a great song for the group; it features a lot of the members doing shorter solos and mixed group bits. I don’t want to be one of those foreign fans who always complains about the line distribution, but varied groups like Morning Musume work at their best when everyone gets at least a little to do. Brainstorming really utilizes the members in a really great way.

Ultimately, this song is what brought me back and got me really excited about Morning Musume again. I actually preordered the single, because this is just that good.

12. Haste to Waste – BKA48

When I first heard there was going to be a unit of the members who scored low on the Mechaike special, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be something silly and not quite serious. And there are slightly silly parts. However, it’s a pretty standard mid-tempo song with a good deal of guitar and piano in there. A really good standard song, mind you.

Listening to the song and knowing the lyrics, though, it feels right that this is the BKA48 song; it’s silly, but it’s about being happy even if you aren’t necessarily smart. The thing that interests me is just how strangely epic the chorus feels. Perhaps it’s the lyrics mixed with the song, but it feels like it should be the theme song to the anime/drama about Kawaei Rina. Which I would definitely watch, by the way.

Honestly, this song isn’t necessarily the most interesting song on this list. But it’s solid, has a catchy melody, and I really love the lyrics. Especially the line that actually mentions Haste to Waste, taken word for word from the Mechaike special.

11.Sekaichuu ni I Love You – Rhymeberry

When most people got interested in the new Rhymeberry single, they really liked the song R.O.D.. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a great song. However, I was really taken by Sekaichuu ni I Love You, just because of how different it is. It’s 30s era swing/jazz (not sure if this is sampling or not) mixed with rap. I’ve never heard something like this before, and if you know of any other songs even remotely similar please tell me.

The instrumental is really entertaining; I love hearing all the instruments featured, especially the clarinet (which I play), but the piano is really what shines here. Miri, Hime, and Yuka all shine and they are really improving their skills. They really sell the song, too, putting a lot of energy into it, which is a marked improvement from their last single (where the live version is a lot better than what was recorded). There are also some fun lines in here; I appreciate the Han Solo reference, and I always giggle at “Dope the shit!”

I think I mostly like this because it’s such an experiment. It’s fresh, new, and something I personally have never heard before, which is really rare for music.

10. Walk my Way – Yokoyama Rurika

Yokoyama Rurika – Walk My Way by oshiruka

I think every time I talk about Idoling!!! I mention that I want to follow them more. Which still stands. I think they’re a really solid, interesting idol group with some great music, but I just don’t follow them. I heard about Yokoyama Rurika getting a solo single, but I didn’t need to read it. One thing changed my mind. Hyadain.

When I heard that this was a new Hyadain song and that it was good, I raced out to listen to it. And oh yes, it is good. The thing about this song is that it really works because of Rurika’s really strong vocals. From what I’ve heard Hyadain really wrote a song for her strong voice, and you can hear it. Hyadain, like always, writes a really strong melody, but here it fits Rurika perfectly, and her strong voice compliments the strong instrumental, or rather the instruments compliment her. This isn’t a very subtle song; this is something that’s meant to be belted out. That’s why Rurika’s voice fits it perfectly.

Steve from Selective Hearing wrote a very good analysis of Walk My Way here, and I suggest you all read it because I’m not going to write something this great about the song. One thing I can say is that, as a Hyadain fan, I love almost everything he does. His music really fits my tastes. However, since he writes almost exclusively for idol acts, I rarely get to hear music by him from an artist with a voice as strong as Rurika’s. So this song is really a treat for me, and I know it’s something I’ll listen to quite a bit.

9.Maji Kansha – Team Syachihoko

If you haven’t noticed, I really love Team Syachihoko. I wanted to put all four songs from their latest single on here, but I was able to narrow it down so that I’d have a more varied list (though another one of theirs is coming up).

One of the things I really like about Stardust groups is just how energetic their songs are, but that’s a bit of a curse as well; there aren’t many Stardust group songs I’ll break down crying while listening to, whereas I’ve cried at many AKB48 songs. And while I don’t think Syachi is going to move into serious ballads any time soon, I have to say I love their first song that seems a bit more serious, which is Maji Kansha.

I’m a sucker for strings and idol music; it’s actually something you could probably notice in this list. So when I first heard the swell of strings of Maji Kansha during a livestream of a Team Syachihoko event, I was hooked. The thing about Team Syachihoko is that if you’re looking for a polished performance with strong vocals, you’d best look elsewhere. However, the thing that I personally love about Syachihoko, that you can definitely hear in this song, is that they really work hard and push themselves. Their voices might not be strong enough to carry a song like this, but they give it their all.

It’s a really lovely song in general, and one I think could become a favorite to perform at Syachi concerts. It’s definitely the most normal Syachihoko song, but that, in itself, makes it the most usual. In a really good way.
8. Bokura no Eureka – NMB48

The easiest way to describe NMB’s summer singles is in comparison to other 48 groups. Whereas Nagiichi was much like songs like Ponytail to Shushu; happy and upbeat, Bokura no Eureka feels a lot more like Manatsu no Sounds Good. It’s a bit darker, more serious in tone, but still retaining a summer feel to it. Bokura no Eureka is a bit slower, very strings heavy (yes I do love that), and it just works.

NMB has had more mature sounding songs before (i.e. Virginity), but I didn’t really expect this song when I saw that it was an NMB48 summer song. Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s so unexpected that makes me love it so much. It allows for something like their full PV, where the NMB girls are on a deserted island; even though it’s a summer song, and has fairly typical lyrics, it has a lot more emotion to it. It’s a bit darker, slower and more serious than I expected from this track, and I have to say I love it.

7.Megitsune – Babymetal

Babymetal keeps surprising me and taking themselves to new levels. Every time I hear a new Babymetal song it’s exciting, because I never know what it’s going to be like. Megitsune is a new direction for Babymetal, now incorporating traditional instruments and themes into their metal/idol pop hybrid. It completely works. It’s still one of the most ‘metal’ songs Babymetal has put out (though perhaps not as metal as Ijime Dame Zettai), utilizing Suzuka’s strong vocals and a lot of drums.

It’s kind of amazing, really, that all these elements work so well together. I’m constantly impressed by how innovative Babymetal’s music can be, in incorporating Suzuka’s voice, Yui and Moa’s shouting, the metal sound, while still being accessible to people who may not necessarily enjoy metal music. I know I never really listened to metal before Babymetal. And perhaps I wouldn’t be so fond of this if I was a metal afficionado. However, Babymetal does a really great job of creating accessible music for everyone that blurs the lines of genre in a really fantastic way.

6. Den Den Passion – Dempagumi.inc

2013 is shaping up to be the year of Dempa for me; I’ve known about them for a while, but I really got into them this year. Den Den Passion does one of the things I wish more idol groups did, and really plays off the fact that this is a group effort. Especially in the chorus, there’s a lot of vocal overlap, which fits really well. I really like what they did with the vocals in this single; the voices in the chorus often sound almost vocaloid-esque, or a high-pitched Perfume, but in a way that really fits Dempagumi.inc.

That’s the thing that I really love about this single. Everything about it fits dempa’s identity as a group, which, as a fan of the group, is something I love. The quick pace, the high pitched vocals, the focus on the group, the entire song feels very dempagumi. Even the rap section really fits the song (perhaps it’s the edited vocals in that section). Sometimes when writing reviews for this blog, as an exercise, I try to imagine another group tackling a song. This is a song that I can’t imagine anyone other than dempagumi doing.

It’s frenzied, energetic, and fun. While another song on this list convinced me to start following demmpagumi.inc (spoilers), Den Den Passion helped keep Dempagumi.inc as one of my favorite idol groups out there. It’s not one of their strangest offerings, but it’s a worthy addition to the dempagumi discography.

5. Te wo Tsunagou – Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku

Who else has spontaneously started crying during an idol song? Because uh, that’s the first thing I did when I listened to Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku’s latest, Te wo Tsunagou.

Ebichu is another one of the Stardust idol groups a long with MomoClo and Team Syachihoko. However, for whatever reason, Ebichu hasn’t quite clicked with me in the same way as these other two groups. However, I can’t deny how great their music can be (especially since they work closely with Hyadain a lot), and Te wo Tsunagou is just incredible. Instead of taking the usual energetic route that Stardust group often does, Ebichu does a really great job with a sweet, heartfelt song (though they have done some of this before, to be fair).

The song starts off on a great note with the strongest vocalist in the group, Kashiwagi Hinata, singing a capella. She sounds really lovely, and is a really great start to the rest of this song. This song has a really great pace, helped out by the strong percussion in the background, but ultimately it’s just how earnest this song feels, both with the song, the vocals and the lyrics, that makes me really love it.

This song isn’t quite as unique as the others on this list. It’s not even as unique as the other song on this single, Kindan no Karma, which is a much darker song. However, this song does pretty much everything right in being a really lovely, heartwarming song. As groups search for the next gimmick or style, this proves that what you need more than anything is a good melody, charismatic performers, and a strong arrangement.

4. Ijime Dame Zettai – Babymetal

I remember distinctly the first time I heard this song. This had been a very long awaited song for Babymetal fans, so I was very excited. I was doing a project for a class (auditioning people to be in a project I was managing), but I had to listen to this as soon as I saw the PV had been posted. It was completely worth the anticipation. I sat alone in the room I was holding auditions in, mouth open, completely in awe of what I was listening to.

I’d argue that Ijime Dame Zettai is the most metal of the Babymetal songs; you could potentially make a good case for the song Catch Me if You Can, but I’d argue the chorus gets too pop-y. IDZ, on the other hand, is pure metal, without the pop influence of other Babymetal songs, and it’s just good. One of the things that I love about IDZ are the slower sections; the piano-heavy section at the beginning, the slower section right at the beginning of the second verse, and the section before the big guitar solos. These do a really great job of pumping up the more intense sections, and making them exciting. All the guitar solos in this are incredible, as are the rest of the instruments; they do a really excellent job of pumping you up, and having a lot of energy.

Suzuka’s vocals, while they’ve since improved again for Megitsune, made a really big leap from Headbanger to Ijime Dame Zettai. She sounds amazing here, her strong voice really fitting the great instrumental. Yui and Moa take a bit of a backseat from their already limited roles, but their presence mainly serves to remind you that yes, this is actually Babymetal you’re listening to.

This isn’t metal-pop. I’d go so far as to say this is just metal, with pop performers. Suzuka sounds great, the instruments sound great, and everything about this track is phenomenal.
3. Shuto Iten Keikaku – Team Syachihoko

Figuring out which two Team Syachihoko songs made this list was a bit of a difficult decision, because the whole single is pretty amazing, but it came down to Maji Kansha and Shuto Iten Keikaku. Let’s just get it out of the way: I’m biased towards Team Syachihoko. They’ve quickly become my idol group of choice, and I can’t think of a song they’ve done that I haven’t liked. However, this is because they have really high quality music, and this has continued with their national major debut single.

This song was cowritten by Japanese hip hop artist SEAMO, and that’s pretty obvious. Even if there’s only one actual rap section (done wonderfully by Haruna), you can hear the hip hop influence throughout the whole song, which features a lot of spoken parts and a whole lot of attitude. According to wikipedia, one of SEAMO’s influences was MC Hammer, and I do get a bit of an 80s/90s hip hop vibe from this. This is honestly not a song I expected to hear from Team Syachihoko, but they really put a lot of effort into this song, with Chiyuri rolling her R’s and Nao putting in a lot of energy. All the girls really fit in this well.

The lyrics are one of the most fun parts of the song, featuring Syachi’s plea to make Nagoya the capitol of Japan. It’s a silly topic and the lyrics are silly, but Syachihoko actually sells it pretty well. There’s a pretty good translation on the PV on the official Syachihoko channel, so I recommend you check that out.

Otherwise, all the parts come together for a really fun and entertaining song.

2. W.W.D – Dempagumi.inc

W.W.D stands for “worldwide Dempagumi,” a very fitting title given Dempagumi.inc’s recent announcement of performing at Japan Expo USA this August.

W.W.D is weird. And this is coming from someone who loves weird music. Can you guess who wrote this song? If you guessed Hyadain, yep you’re right. However, while some people may criticize W.W.D for being kind of disjointed, in actuality it really fits the group. The song centers around the group of six girls, their individual stories and how they all came together to become one group. Therefore, the fact that the song has so many different styles in it actually makes a lot of sense, because it’s reinforcing this narrative found in the lyrics. I’m really glad they decided to work with Hyadain to write this deeply personal song for Dempagumi.inc; Hyadain is the master of writing very eccentric songs that somehow work, and W.W.D is one of those songs.

Because this song is based off the histories of the girls in dempagumi.inc, they perform it really well. The girls all have an interest in Akihabara culture, and as such really play up the shouted parts well. Groups in the past have called themselves ‘otaku groups,’ but you really believe it with dempagumi.inc. This song is so weird, but Dempagumi.inc manages to sell the slow/serious section as well as the energetic sections. They do well with a song that I imagine would be difficult for most idol singers to get.

If you don’t like your music weird, I doubt you’ll like W.W.D.. In fact, I have a feeling it’s the type of single that would be very polarizing. However, I really like Hyadain when he’s at his wackiest, which he is here. Combine that with the personal stories of dempagumi.inc, and you have a classic idol song on your hands.

1. Hai to Diamond – Momoiro Clover Z

If you read my review of Momoiro Clover Z’s album 5th Dimension, you’ll already know how much I love this song, so I’ll keep this brief. Hai to Diamond is incredible. It’s not necessarily the most idol-y song out there, but it’s a really beautiful song featuring orchestral instruments, many different sounds, and some really nice performances from Momoiro Clover. It’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, written very well and arranged even better. It’s gorgeous, epic, and has been an instant favorite ever since I heard it.

This is one of the most beautiful pop songs I’ve ever heard, and I know I’ll keep coming back to it again and again in the future.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 6

Posted on June 23, 2013 by serenyty

Caramel ☆ Ribbon

No, not the Starbucks Frappuccino. This is a three member idol group apparently decided by the president of Tower Records to be one of the idol groups to make it big this year. They are a part of the “Esse Academy,” but are the most popular group to hail from it. They’re based in Osaka, as well. The girls (Amane, Aoi and Seina) are 14-15 years old. Since last year’s Tokyo Idol Festival, they’ve put out one new single, ‘Yakusoku no Basho,’ so the group currently has three singles. They recently signed to T-Palatte records, so while they have been a pretty small group, they might start doing things like PVs and the like soon.

The thing about Caramel Ribbon is that there really are no gimmicks about the group; they’re three cute girls who perform pretty well. So if you want something different or exciting, you might not get it from Caramel Ribbon. If you want a solid indie group to support, well there are definitely worse groups to give your support.

Personally, while I definitely see why some people are very much into them, they don’t really grab me. They almost feel like relics of an older era of idols; there’s nothing bad about the group at all, but not much that’s really noteworthy. From what I’ve seen they’ve definitely improved since last year, and their vocals are definitely solid. The music just hasn’t grabbed me, and the group itself is slightly generic.

That said, while I personally don’t have an interest, I don’t think they’re a bad group at all. So I’d suggest checking them out to see if they interest you at all.

GAL♡DOLL

Out of all the idol groups I covered last year, one of the songs that really stuck with me was Gal Doll’s “Loco Girl ~ Agepoyo Summer~.” It’s a really catchy/fun song that I actually listen to a fair amount.

GAL DOLL is a unit from the Gal culture. Gal (or Gyaru) fashion is a style that features bleached/dyed hair, lots of makeup, and so on. The history of gyaru culture as a movement is pretty interesting, and while I’m not going to go into all of it here, I encourage you to check it out.

GAL DOLL is thus a gal-inspired unit that is located in Shibuya, one of the fashion centers of Japan. Last year they had three members, but it looks like one of them (Ryoka) left, so there’s only Juno and Nanaho. They were formed by the popular magazine ‘egg’, and are based as a Shibuya girls unit, promoting Shibuya fashion. They’ve performed at the Campus Summit event in the past, an event organized by student clubs surrounding gyaru culture. So Gal Doll really seems to be aiming to be a fashion-centric unit, combining the world of gyaru fashion and idol music. Not a bad idea, especially since gal idols are kind of rare.

Much like last year, it’s hard to find out everything about them.Their website’s a bit tricky. However, it’s good to see them moving forward and releasing new stuff; Juno and Nanoha have released another single/song, “We Can’t Stop It.” It’s not quite as fun as Loco Girl, as it’s more of a slower tempo song. The reason I listen to Loco Girl so much is because it’s a fun, upbeat Eurobeat/Para para song. It’s a bit disappointing to see this change, but it’s certainly different. A lot of what was fun about Gal Doll just isn’t there in We Can’t Stop It, which is a shame.

Still, I’d check both of these out especially if you’re interested in the Japanese fashion world at all.

Kurikamaki

How far Kurikamaki has come in the past year! When I profiled them last year, they were a pretty late entry, and had only just put up their intro post on their ameblo. Now they have a full website and seem to be gaining more and more recognition. Everything, from their profile picture to their site, is a lot more professional, so they’ve definitely worked hard to improve. I’m kind of proud of them!

Kurikamaki is a two girl unit formed of Kurika and Maki (hence the names). They’re pretty self-formed, mostly because Kurika already DJed before the unit. Their thing is that they are a singing, dancing DJ unit. They formed in January of 2012, but as of last TIF they hadn’t done all that much, at least things that I could find online. However, this past January (2013) they put out their first original song, Analog ma Girl.

The fun thing about a DJ centric unit is that you get to hear a lot of songs you already like. Here’s a brief example of the two of them doing a show with songs that I’m sure are familiar to a lot of you:

I really like these girls. Because they’re a very self-started group, both girls seem very much into it, and are a lot of fun to watch grow. Both girls are fairly active on twitter, so that’s a really good way of following them.

I’m just pretty fond of these girls. Their concept makes them really unique, and they do well with it with their energy and fun. It’s been great watching them get some notice, and I hope they continue to do well!

KNU

I remember KNU all too well. For some reason, I tend to remember the pretty exaggerated fanservice groups. Not sure what this says about me and the groups.

KNU = Kyonyuu = huge breasts. So the name right off the bat tells you that this group is about breasts. They were originally KNU23, but dropped the 23 to try and drop the association of being an AKB knockoff group. Mentioned in THIS Kotaku article, all the girls have a DDD or higher bra size on the Japanese bra sizing (though that doesn’t say all THAT much about the actual size of the breasts, but bra sizing is another topic for another time).

This group has also grown considerably since last year. I mentioned that they had put out a couple of releases and didn’t have a proper website; they’ve been cranking out singles lately, recently putting out their 6th and 7th singles. They’ve put out a mini album, and have 5 live DVDs. They’re doing their second solo concert soon. I don’t know how well this group sells, but they’ve been doing a lot of stuff lately which indicates they have a fanbase. They also have these shirts that I will put a picture of without comment (though I do want to see a wota in one).

Honestly, I have a hard time finding much to like about KNU. Quoting my post from last year “they are a fanservice unit that doesn’t carry the “star power” of Ebisu Muscats or the utter ridiculousness of Sexy All Sisters.” I have a tolerance level for fanservice; I honestly don’t mind gravure work, for the most part, and I’m able to enjoy watching performances of the ridiculous fanservice groups like Sexy All Sisters. But KNU doesn’t have the fun level of those groups, but is SO focused on breasts, completely objectifying the women involved. The covers of their singles are just shots of breasts. Their T-Shirts are breasts. Their logo’s breasts. Essentially, the only reason these girls were picked is because they have large breasts. I have a high level of tolerance for fanservice, but this just goes too far in my opinion.

The only way I can recommend this group is if you want so-so idol performances done by women with large breasts.

Goto Mariko

This is another act I don’t know I would classify so much as an idol. Goto Mariko, an Osaka-born singer, joined the rock group Midori as vocalist and guitarist. The group broke up in 2010, and she has since started as a solo act. Last July she put out her first solo album, 299792458. She’s also starting to act.

Since the first track on her album is appropriately titled “Hardcore Life” and the t-shirts on her website have “HARDCORE” on them, I’m assuming she’s not going for the cutesy idol act. Like I said before, she’s not really what I’d consider an idol, and checking her website shows that this is really the only idol show she’s doing. However, if you like J-Rock as well as idols, you may want to follow her.

The one song I’ve heard so far, M@HφU☆少女 is less hardcore than I may have expected and it’s very much pop-rock as opposed to hard rock. It’s definitely not a bad song, and I quite like the instrumentation. I don’t know if it’s something I’d listen to all the time, but it’s not bad at all. Her voice is very high-pitched and cute; at points, strangely, it reminds me a teeny bit of Hirano Aya.

If you want a rock-musician to follow, you could do worse. Personally I prefer Oomori Seiko (who I covered last time), and I’d recommend Seiko over Mariko. However, if you can follow two, you should definitely check out Goto Mariko.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts Part 5

Posted on June 13, 2013 by serenyty

More acts were added, which puts TIF 2013 at 99 groups. With just under two months left, I’m imagining they’ll add more acts. Last year the final count was a whopping 111 groups, and I bet TIF wants to beat that this year. Currently there are some groups I’m surprised that I don’t see listed, and I bet they’ll be able to pull it off.

E-Street Sapporo, E-Street Tokyo, W-Street Osaka, W-Street Nagoya, W-Street Fukuoka

Sorry if anyone’s a big fan of the iDOL Street Sei, but I’m covering all of them in one group. Basically, Avex’s big idol label is iDOL Street. It features Super Girls, Cheeky Parade, GEM, and the iDOL Street Sei, which is comprised of these five groups, named after (surprise surprise) the five cities they’re based in, Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. These are basically the iDOL street trainees; they basically aim to debut. They’ve released one indies single in 2011 (Zettai Love Magic and Kirakira Holiday) but they haven’t done much in that since. However, from what I’m aware they do perform.

I think following these girls would be akin to following Hello!Project Eggs/Kenshuusei or AKB48 kenkyuusei; they haven’t officially debuted yet, but you’re looking at the next group of idols. Groups have debuted on this label, so it’s reasonable to assume they’ll form another one. Members from Street sei are in GEM and Cheeky Parade, so if you like the Avex idol groups it would make sense to keep an eye on these girls. Since they’re locally based and essentially trainees, it’s a bit harder for us international fans to follow them, but if you’re very invested in iDOL Street groups it’s probably worth it to try.

EDIT: I was informed by a reader on Facebook that last year w-Street Osaka, w-Street Nagoya and the second gen of iDOL Street Sei released singles. It might be a bit harder to find (since I didn’t even see them on the Avex site when I was looking at it!) but they’ve been a bit more active than I thought! Thank you, Vincent!

My first guess was that this was the ‘Human Resources’ idol unit and that they hired other idols and held the auditions. Don’t think I’m right about that one, but I’ve seen a lot of idol gimmicks.

This is an idol group from Fukuoka (which has a lot of really excellent local groups right now), and they have their own dedicated theater there. They were formed in 2010, and their goal is to be a hybrid between net idols and live idols, which is a good thing for those of us that can’t see indie idols live! They currently have 9 full members and six trainees (according to their member list on their site); however their TIF profile picture features 11 girls, most likely due to a recent graduation. From their Wikipedia page it looks like they’ve had a lot of membership changes, which can be a bit confusing for indie groups. They perform weekly at said dedicated theater, and seem to have a setlist of songs that they perform.

Their main goal is producing local idols in Fukuoka. The group was formed in 2010, and has since released two singles: “Kimi ni Spark” and “Barikata.” Barikata came out this past January, so it shows they’re still actively releasing material.

While I can’t say they’re my favorite group from Fukuoka (that would be rev.from DVL), I’m finding myself charmed by HR. Kimi ni Spark is pretty good, and they tend to be energetic performers. I especially find myself drawn to the center, who I think is Kobayashi Mayu. Since I really like Fukuoka groups I think I’ll follow them. They don’t really have gimmicks except for being a good idol group. If you like more local groups, check them out!

EDIT: I was informed by Shura Striker that HR stands for Hakata Reboot. Thank you!

Omori Seiko

A soloist! To be honest, Seiko seems less like an idol than a straight up singer. She started performing live in 2011, but in 2012 things started ramping up until she released her first single, PINK. This year she released her first full album “Mahou ga Tsukaenai nara Shinitai’. So Seiko is just starting her career as a singer, even though she seems to be older, being 25. Though that’s less of a barrier if you’re a singer-songwriter.

Probably the biggest reason she sought out TIF and became a TIF act is because she’s notably an idol fan. According to wikipedia she likes Morning Musume’s Michishige Sayumi, and she’s collaborated with indie idol unit BiS. So despite not quite fitting into the idol mold, she’s interested in idol culture.

Even though I’m mostly an idol fan with JPop… I really like her, and I can see myself following Seiko. The one song I’ve heard so far, “Mahou ga Tsukaenai Nara” reminds a me a little one of my favorite English-language singer-songwriters, Regina Spektor. If any of you reading this like that kind of style, I’d suggest you check out what I link here. The way she uses her voice is a bit unusual, but she has a really nice, distinctive style.

Ultimately, yeah she’s not quite an idol, but she’s definitely a really good artist and one you should check out, if you’re interested in some different music.

Also here’s a bonus video of Seiko covering some Hello!Project songs.

Otome Corporation

This is a local three member unit from Nagano Prefecture, which promotes tourism in Nagano Prefecture and Ina City (within Nagano). While I haven’t heard much of local groups from Nagano in particular, this seems to be pretty legit, linking to official prefecture/city websites. So while a lot of local idol groups often claim to be representing their home prefecture/city, it seems that Otome Corporation is the real deal. The girls themselves are on the older side, the members between 22 and 23. So if you’re a bit sick of the really young girls that tend to be in TIF, this may be an act for you! Their gimmick is that they’re OL working at the “Otome Corporation” and fans are “shareholders.” It’s cute, and I like that they’re kind of older. I can’t think of any other groups that have OL as their theme (let me know if you can think of others!) so I like this.

They were formed in 2009, and have since released a whopping 10 singles, which is pretty amazing for a small indie group (though if they’re supported by their local government, that makes a bit more sense). They also seem to have had their own show uploaded here (though it hasn’t been updated in years now).

Nothing about them musically grabs me right away, but I’m somewhat inclined to follow them out of principle! I like their gimmick, and all the girls seem fun. Their music is slightly rock inspired pop; nothing revolutionary, but it doesn’t sound bad. There’s just no song that’s quite as catchy as some of the other artists I’ve covered, and nothing really stands out that much about them, other than their gimmick. If what I described makes you intrigued I’d check them out, otherwise, if you like your cutesy idols and value songs/performances, you might want to look elsewhere.

Kawasaki Junjou Komachi

Holy kanji Batman! That’s a very difficult name. But it’s Kawasaki Junjou Komachi, or K.J.K for short. Almost self-explanatory, this is another local idol group, this time hailing from the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa prefecture. This is a five member idol unit formed in 2011 and, like Otome Corporation, is an official group to promote their area and be the official Kawasaki idol group.

Like Otome Corporation, a lot of their identity stems from their local idol-ness; they do most of their activities for local television and to promote the revitalization of the Kawasaki area. However, as opposed to the OL theme, they wear modified kimono, and seem to be going for a traditional look. This actually reminds me of Momoiro Clover’s earliest look, back during their first indies single, Momoiro Punch. This is reflected in their PVs and live performances so far, and I like it; it’s a look I actually miss from Momoiro Clover, and I hope that Kawasaki Junjou Komachi chooses to keep it!

This modified traditional style is reflected in their music as well, and this is probably the most interesting part about K.J.K. Their music is a really interesting hybrid of traditional and pop, much like early MomoClo stuff was. In fact, they really remind me of early Momoiro Clover in this way; pre-Ikuze! Kaitou Shoujo MomoClo. It’s actually a really perfect mix; the music sounds new and fresh, but still has very noticeable traditional roots. It’s actually really catchy, and I’m really enjoying what I hear from this group so far. While their live performances still seem unpolished, their vocals are VERY strong and sound really gorgeous.

So far they’ve released two singles and are on one idol compilation, and I have to say I’m VERY intrigued by this group. Just learning about them I wasn’t that interested, especially after covering another official idol group, but their music really stands out as being interesting and good. I’d say to keep an eye on this group; I have no idea how far they’ll be able to go as an official Kawasaki idol group, but I really like them so far!

AKB48 Senbatsu Election 2013 – Results + Analysis

Posted on June 8, 2013 by serenyty

The time has come again for a crazy senbatsu election. This time I spent the evening/morning hanging out on the Selective Hearing live skype viewing party. I had a lovely time doing that, so thank you to everyone who did that. So I watched, slept, and now when I woke up it’s time to blog. Still, overall, I had a lot of fun. One of the commenters in the chat (I forgot who, sorry!) said this (idols in genera) is a spectator sport and reality TV all in one. Which is quite accurate. This took place in Nissan Stadium, which is normally for athletics, and definitely had the feel of a big sporting event. Even though it started at 3:15 AM my time and got done at around 7 AM, it was a fairly intense experience, and one I’m glad I had. Even though indie groups have taken a lot of my interest recently, these big events will always be really fascinating.

For this post I’m using these results from Melos no Michi as reference, as well as cross checking that with last year’s results as seen here on Stage48. So here’s some of my thoughts on this election day.

Sashihara Rino takes #1

In the chat I was in, a bunch of people were joking “oh Sasshi #1,” liking the idea but doubting very much it would happen. Slowly, as Kashiwagi Yuki and Watanabe Mayu were named, we began to wonder if what started out as a longshot could happen, and we really all started pulling for Sasshi.

Sashihara Rino getting the first spot is really major for a couple of reasons. She’s the first girl to get #1 who’s not in AKB48, actually, and she’s also the first girl implicated in a pretty major scandal. Last year, her getting #4 was a bit of a surprise to me, but soon after she had her scandal and was moved to HKT48.

This whole election was really encouraging for fans of the sister groups of AKB48, but Sasshi taking #1 was really a big part of it. I also really hope that this will be one step closer to eliminating dating rules, or at least starting to get less strict on scandal punishments. Fans want Sasshi, and they have spoken.

At the end, when Sasshi was going around the stadium in a giant float, one of my fellow commentators mentioned that it really didn’t feel like a Sasshi type of thing. Which is fairly true. Sasshi isn’t really a typical idol to get #1 in something like this. When they were discussing what kind of single the next one would be, the word thrown around on stage was a “weird” single, which is something I can look forward to. Move over traditional idols, the weird but imperfect idols are here to stay, and I’m quite excited for it.

Shinoda Mariko announced her graduation

When Mariko announced she was graduating, I honestly thought it would be the biggest news of the evening (but Sasshi winning beats this). It’s honestly not something I expected, even though Mariko’s the oldest member at 27. Last year, during her election speech, she kept mentioning not losing to the younger members, and I really assumed that that meant that Mariko was here to stay. Even though she’s the oldest, she’s the one I least expected to graduate after Takahashi Minami, mostly because of this stubbornness. All good things must come to an end, though, and Mariko announced she’s ending things on a bang, looking to graduate at the Fukuoka Dome concert in July (since she’s from Fukuoka).

With all the members who left this year, and now Mariko leaving this year, the AKB48 senbatsu is looking very very different, and I imagine next year will be even more different.

SKE48 in Kami7, NMB48 in senbatsu

Like I said earlier, the sister groups really shined this year. It was noted in the chat that only 30 members out of the 64 were actually in AKB48; this year, the sister groups’ influences grew. Six girls from HKT48 ranked, even though they’ve only released one single, seven from NMB48 (eight, counting Ichikawa Miori), and seventeen from SKE48 (eighteen if you count Oba Mina). This is a massive showing for what’s the AKB48 election.

The biggest news, other than Sasshi, is that five girls that didn’t originate in AKB48, Suda Akari (who I had no idea would rank so high), Matsui Rena, Matsui Jurina, Yamamoto Sayaka and Watanabe Miyuki ranked in senbatsu. In the previous years, it was only the two Matsui girls who ranked in senbatsu, but now they’re in the top 7 (known as kami7), a huge achievement.

Above all, the increased rankings of girls not in AKB48 shows that they’re not just the sister group to the popular AKB48, but that they’re really valuable groups in their own right, and have a good deal of their own popularity. Unfortunately, some of the girls who’ve always ranked highly, like Takahashi Minami, Itano Tomomi and Kojima Haruna, got pushed down a bit. But that shows that the sister groups are really able to go far.

Personally I’m really happy; I like NMB48 and HKT48 a lot in particular, and while I have three oshimen in the 48 groups I’ve more and more started to consider myself as Watanabe Miyuki oshi, and Oota Aika’s my other main oshimen. There’s a lot of really great stuff going on in the sister groups, and it’s great to see it getting recognition.

Miyazawa Sae focusing on SNH48

Earlier it was announced that some of the foreign exchange members were going to be AKB48 members as well. However, Sae decided to take that back, and focus full time on promoting SNH48.

I understand in theory why she’s doing it; she really wanted to make SNH a group in their own right, and I imagine she’s really frustrated because of all the roadbloacks that she’s faced in becoming a member of SNH48. However, it doesn’t change the fact that this might not be the best move. My friend Dani, in her first message to me about the election, immediately said that “Sae committed career suicide,” which is pretty apt.

The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to support these foreign groups. Nakagawa Haruka’s focusing completely on JKT48, and seems to be doing well there. However, the politics between Japan and China have been so tense that Sae has been barely able to do anything with SNH48 simply because getting a working visa has been tough. I don’t know if she’s still been able to get one, which means she won’t be able to do much of anything. I know that Sae and Mariya had to watch the first public appearance of SNH48 from the audience, because they couldn’t work.

I appreciate Sae’s convictions, but if you can’t get a work visa there’s only so much you can really do. I know it has to be REALLY frustrating, but this is something that Sae really can’t change and is out of her control.

I really hope things work out for her, but I’m pretty nervous as well.

Vote inflation

I keep thinking AKB48 is going to have some giant sales decline, but Sayonara Crawl keeps breaking records left and right (recently outselling Speed’s White Love). And it shows! This year three members got over 100,000 votes. Ichikawa Miori’s votes almost doubled from last year, and she only increased one place. The 16th ranked member in senbatsu, Suda Akari, received 43,252 votes. To put this in perspective, Maeda Atsuko received ~4500 votes when she won the election in 2009. AKB’s popularity has increased a LOT, but it really goes to show that we’re dealing with so many more votes. Even if a girl’s position goes down or stays the same, she could have still had a decent increase in the elections.

Just something to keep in mind; so many girls are getting way more votes than they did last year, regardless of their actual ranking.

Hirajima Natsumi Ranking

Nacchan didn’t rank highly, but I’m really happy she ranked at all. Since she’s a member who’s graduated, and left because of a scandal of all things, it’s really nice to see her fans gave her so much support. It will be really interesting to see how this works with her in the Future Girls. I know I’m not the only one who wants to bring Nacchan back!

My personal thoughts
My two oshimen are Watanabe Miyuki and Oota Aika. While I wanted Milky to beat Sayanee in the race for NMB48’s top member, I was really happy to see her ranking increase (and her votes more than doubled). The big disappointment of last year was seeing Oota Aika drop so low, and so I was really glad to see her jump up 9 places and get 10000 more votes than last year. I’m really proud of the both of them!

So overall, this was an exciting, surprising and really entertaining senbatsu election. All these lineups look pretty interesting, and I’m excited to see what happens next for the 48 groups.

PSA: Please Take Domestic Violence Seriously

Posted on June 2, 2013 by serenyty

This is a little bit of a serious thing for Happy Disco, but it needs to be said.

Recently, ex-Morning Musume member Yaguchi Mari has filed for divorce from her husband. The clear reasons are infidelity, because she cheated on her husband. However, she’s stated that one of the reasons is that her husband was violent towards her.

I don’t want to apologize for people who cheat. It’s not a good thing to be doing. However, I’ve been really disappointed by how people have been treating Mari’s allegations of domestic violence. So I wanted to make this post to say that.

“But Yaguchi mentioned this after she got caught cheating!” So what? So that means that we can immediately dismiss allegations of violence? We don’t know everything that happened, but domestic violence is one thing that should be taken seriously.

“If she had been treated violently, wouldn’t she have said something before?” Not every victim feels like they are able to stand up and say something. In the US “On average, only 70% of nonfatal partner violence is reported to law enforcement. Of those not reporting, 41% of male and 27% of female victims (34% average) stated victimization being a private/personal matter as reason for not reporting, 15% of women feared reprisal, 12% of all victims wished to protect the offender, and 6% of all victims believed police would do nothing.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. 1993-2004, 2006.)”

Further, those are US statistics; talking about domestic violence is possibly more taboo in Japan than in the US. “In a society as gossip-phobic as Japan’s, the shame associated with domestic troubles was monumental. All measures were taken — by family members, victims and victimizers alike — to prevent discord from becoming public” It may have been hard for Mari, a public figure, to come out and say that her husband was violent to her before now.

Like I said earlier, we don’t know the whole story and probably never will. However, I’ve been extremely saddened by the comments of people completely dismissing her comments. Domestic Violence is a serious problem and we should take it seriously.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts Part 4

Posted on June 2, 2013 by serenyty

Otome Shinto

With a lot of the groups I haven’t heard of, I have to do a bit of digging to get any information. However, with a search I found that Chiima of Okay! Musume Time did a pretty extensive survey of the group already, especially taking a look at the profile of each girl. So if this group interests you at all, you should look here for more about them HERE.

Basically, they’re a group of four middle school students with junior high being a big part of their identity. Since, in an intro video, Yurika (the girl in pink) says she’s in her third year of junior high, I wonder if this is going to be middle school themed in the same vein as Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku (the girls are said to be eternal middle school students) or if it’s going to be more like Sakura Gakuin and Usa Usa Shoujo Club (forced graduations).

Regardless, their main concept is that they’re “positive second-string middle school students” (bad translation) basically saying they’re second-tier idols. From what I gather, what they aim is to be more average girls. Which is the goal of many idol groups, but admitting that they’re kind of a lower tier takes some guts.

They were formed last December, so they’re very new; they’ve only released one single so far, “Mousou Koukan Nikki,” though they’re releasing another in early August (conveniently soon after TIF, I might add). “Mousou Koukan Nikki” has lyrics written by the one and only Maeyamada Kenichi (Hyadain), though not the song. itself. Which kind of shows. While I like the verse of the song, the chorus sounds muddled. The melody isn’t memorable at all, and the instrumental is too busy sounding.

That said, the girls themselves are cute (Aoi Wakana, the girl in blue, especially) and I could see this group getting some notice (especially since Mousou Koukan Nikki is a theme song for the anime GJ-bu). Their first PV’s well made, too. They also have one live bit up, and I like that song (Tokimeki Paradox) better. So there’s definitely potential here, but personally I’m going to wait and see.

Ono Erena

Ono Erena was one of the second generation of AKB48 (the original Team K) and was a long time fixture of the senbatsu lineups. One of the orignal younger/cute girls of the group, she appeared as a front girl quite a bit, was in the short-lived Honegumi subgroup, as well as had her own solo song, First Love.

In fall 2010, right in the middle of AKB48’s peak, she graduated from the group, presumably to study abroad. However, last year she made her solo debut with the song “Erepyon” (Erena’s nickname), and has since put out five singles and is putting out her first solo album this month. She’s gotten more of a cool/rock image in these singles, and I think they definitely suit Erepyon. She also has a really nice voice that, if you’re really into idol vocals, you may like.

Personally, Erepyon was never my oshimen in AKB48. I was pretty indifferent, and Team K has always been the AKB team I pay the least attention to. However, her current solo releases really suit her well, and I definitely see why she’s popular.

Personally I’m a bit mixed on her music (I don’t think it’s bad, but it never really grabs me as anything to talk about), but if you want an idol soloist with a bit more of a rock edge, I’d definitely check Erena out. She really shines as a soloist, moreso (in my opinion) than as an AKB48 member, so it’s definitely interesting to see someone so successful after graduation.

Oha-Girl Chu! Chu! Chu!

First off, if you haven’t listened to Koisho, go listen. I can wait. I’ll link it at the end of this post. It’s one of my favorite idol songs and it’s one of the cutest things ever.

Oha-Girl Chu! Chu! Chu! is the latest group to come from Oha Suta, a long-running children’s program on Japanese TV. Hello!Project members such as Ogawa Saki and Ikuta Erina have appeared on the show (and in the Oha-Girl group Oha-Girl Maple),and Momoiro Clover Z member Sasaki Ayaka got her start on the show, which is where she got her catchphrase “A~rin da yo~”

For years, Oha-Suta has had multiple idol groups, all with the name Oha-Girl in front of it, with Oha-Girl Maple being the last. However, Oha-Girl Chu Chu Chu seems to be gaining momentum as a group. Oha-Girl Maple only released one single, My School March. Oha-Girl Chu Chu Chu, on the other hand, has released three singles since their debut last year, and it looks like they’re going to release another.

As much as I like Koisho, I’ve been a bit wary of following this group too much. I like Yuuna (the girl in pink), but what if this group disbands quickly like the others?

Personally, I’m feeling a bit better about that. Four singles is a lot for an Oha-Suta group, and they seem to be gaining a decent amount of recognition and popularity.

Ultimately, I really like them and have started to follow them a bit more. They’re cute, have a lot of charisma, and Koisho is still a great song that you should listen to right now.

Kaiketsu Tropical Maru

Another group I covered last year. Kaiketsu Tropical Maru is a unit created to support the water industry, as well as other natural industries. Last year when I covered them they had 8 members, but now they have grown to get 16 members (after adding some in April), and are starting to do activities as two separate teams. They also all have an image fruit, or at least they did (I feel like thinking up 16 separate fruits might get interesting after a while).

Formed in 2011 under the same agency as AeLL (so perhaps continuing that ecology work), Kaiketsu Tropical Maru has only released three singles so far, their latest being “Jump! to the Sky” which they put out last December. As of last year they had reached #5 on the indies charts, but that doesn’t mean that much, unfortunately. They have an official youtube channel, but it’s last activity was five months ago, so they’re also not very active in that way, as well.

While last year I wasn’t very impressed by their music, I actually like “Jump! to the Sky.” It’s not really anything new, but it’s guitar heavy, has a good instrumental, and a nice melody. I don’t see any live performances of the song up, just a radio rip, but if they performed it well I could see liking the group. Seeing a recent live performance, they’re definitely cute and they aren’t bad at all. Nothing immediately excites me about them, but I definitely feel like the group’s improved since I’ve last checked in on them, so it’ll be interesting to see if this continues.

KAGAJO☆4S

When I first heard this group’s name, I thought it sounded familiar but I wasn’t that familiar with the group. Now I know why; it’s another Stardust group!

KAGAJO*4S is a four member group of girls aged 13-14. While I don’t know the exact time they were formed, the group’s youtube was created in April and they did their first live appearance then. Since, they’ve performed the opening at a Team Syachihoko concert, and have some live events coming up.

While there’s not too much about them out yet, I have to say that following them is a pretty safe bet. If you are interested in Stardust groups (like I am), and want to follow one from the beginning, this is definitely one to check out (that and Takoyaki Rainbow). KAGAOJO4S’s only live vid put up is a bit rough and the girls are clearly kind of nervous. However, knowing the overall quality of Stardust groups, I’d imagine they’ll improve quickly and end up being a lot of fun.

So while there’s not too much about this group out YET, I’d keep an eye out on this group.

What Makes an Indie Idol Indie?

Posted on May 31, 2013 by serenyty

Recently, Ray of Idolminded and now Pure Idol Heart posted THIS on Pure Idol Heart. As a fan of Pure Idol Heart in general (having named it my blog of the year at Idolminded) and as a fan of Ray’s writing (at Intl Wota and now Idolminded) I was really interested to hear what he had to say.

A big part of this is because indie idols are near and dear to my heart. While I got into idols (like many people) with Hello!Project, and I have favorite idols in the current Hello!Project (Ishida Ayumi, Tamura Meimi) and in the 48 groups (Watanabe Miyuki, Oota Aika, Natori Wakana) as well as in Momoiro Clover Z (Sasaki Ayaka), if I had to name my favorite idol groups, or the groups I support the most it would be:

Team Syachihoko (Major)

rev.from DVL (indie)

Rhymeberry (Indie)

Dempagumi.inc (Major)

BABYMETAL (major)

and MMJ (indie)

Notice that next to each group I put their status and they’re fairly evenly split. Rhymeberry, rev.from DVL and MMJ are all technically indie and Babymetal, dempagumi.inc and Team Syachihoko are technically on major labels. However, for me it’s almost hard to differentiate. To me, all of these groups have an independent feel to them, regardless of their actual status as being major or independent. Both Babymetal and Rhymeberry are really interesting in regards to genre-bending. Team Syachihoko still performs primarily locally in Nagoya, and are really local idols like MMJ (Hiroshima) and rev.from DVL (Fukuoka). My most recent favorite, dempagumi.inc, is technically a local group (for Akihabara), and, in my opinion, have done their most interesting stuff recently, after a roster change and spending some time on a major label (including their genre-bending cover of the Beastie Boys classic ‘Sabotage’)

All these groups have a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, and a lot of excitement, moreso than some of the major acts I’ve encountered. In my head I refer to all of them as indie idols, even though that’s not exactly the case. As Ray mentioned, things aren’t necessarily very cut and dry.

To me, this reminds me a lot about independent films, specifically the current Independent Spirit Awards. As you might imagine, the Independent Spirit Awards is an award that is given out to independent filmmakers. This is something I really appreciate, given the power that the major film studios have. However, last year Silver Linings Playbook got four awards including best film, best leading actress, best director and best screenplay. Now, let me just say that I absolutely adored Silver Linings Playbook; it ended up as one of my favorite films of the year (though Moonrise Kingdom ended up being what I considered to be the best of 2012). However, I would be hard pressed to call it an independent film. It had a budget of over 20 million dollars (which to many films is a very small budget) and was partially produced by and distributed by the Weinstein Company, a major force in awards season films, especially. They distributed The King’s Speech and The Artist, both which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Again, I liked both of these films as well, but it’s hard to define these as independent films. Likewise, there are many films that come out from major studios that are almost designed to have an indie feel and appeal to the audience that likes that sort of thing. Indie, rather than a category for finances, has become almost an aesthetic and stylistic choice more than anything.

I also found what Ray said about pushing boundaries quite interesting. Because out of the six groups I named, the “safest” or most traditional (I’d argue) are MMJ and rev.from DVL, the two indie acts, whereas the major label acts are pretty eccentric. Innovation is happening both in the indies and in the now majors, so it’s exciting stuff.

I don’t know if I have much more to add other than agreement; it’s a tough and somewhat nebulous distinction to make, even if it initially seems cut and dry.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 3

Posted on May 31, 2013 by serenyty

Especia

Especia’s a group I’ve heard of only by name, but I never knew anything about them. They come from Osaka and were formed June 2012, and have six members. Since the name means ‘spice’ in Spanish, their goal is variety in fashion and in members. While I don’t immediately see it (the group itself seems pretty fashionable in a similar way), it’s a nice idea.

What interests me is that their aim is to have 80s/disco themed songs/music. I’ve enjoyed this idol/disco fusion whenever I’ve heard it before (this blog isn’t called Happy Disco for nothing!), so when I saw this I was intrigued.

Right when I started to listen to the title track off their latest EP, Amarga (they have two EPs so far, the second one considerably longer), I immediately heard the 80s influence; synth and saxophone. They immediately go for that 80s feel which is pretty interesting; while that’s not necessarily the part of disco-influenced music I enjoy (this feels a lot more 80s than 70s, that’s for sure), Especia’s music is unique. I can’t think of an idol group that’s ever sounded like them, even when thinking back to older idol artists.

So while I’m not quite sure how I like Especia’s music (it’s not doing all that much for me, I’m afraid), I really admire that this group is so unique among all the other idol groups at TIF. In fact, if I was going to TIF I would probably go see Especia at some point, because I bet it would be a refreshing experience. The members also seem pretty talented, which is good because the music is so different that it would be a bit strange to hear lesser vocalists do it.

So I definitely recommend you check out Especia; I can’t guarantee you’ll like the music, but this group is really different in a great way.

Electric Ribbon

Electric Ribbon’s a pretty unique group as well! There are three members but only two are up front performing; the other member, asCa, is the leader and is in charge of the music/producing. So, from what I can tell, they’re mostly self-run (or run by asCa) which is a pretty interesting and fairly rare group set up. Usually idols tend to be very corporate and run by big companies, but at TIF there are a few groups that are run differently, and that’s always refreshing. The girls also seem older than your average idol, so that’s another way they stand out from the crowd.

They have a very electronic/techno sound, presumably based on asCa’s interests/abilities. So far there are two singles out; Docchi mo Docchi and Repurikapuriko, and both have been performed as early as 2011, so they have a bit of experience but not a lot of new singles. I definitely prefer Repurikapuriko, but so far I’m not quite into the music. One of the most interesting things is that on the second single fans are encouraged to send in remixes; in fact, there are separate tracks of each instrument in Repurikapuriko so fans can remix their stuff. So if you’re into electronic music and make remixes you should definitely check this out.

I can’t say I’m going to follow them too much; it doesn’t feel like they’re a very active group, and so far the music isn’t really grabbing me. I find myself less interested in the idols up front, and with the woman in the back doing the music. So even though I might not become a huge Electric Ribbon fan, like with Especia I can definitely appreciate what they’re bringing to the table.

ALLOVER

ALLOVER is a bit intimidating to me. I’ve heard of them before, and I know of them, but I’ve never bothered to take much of a look.

The reason I’m slightly intimidated is that they’re a super group of indie idols dedicated to spreading Akihabara culture. Members from indie idol groups including asfi, Doki Doki Dream Campus, Nato*Kan, Candy Go Go, Smile*Pocket, Anna*S, and Cover’s Doll have come together to create one giant idol group ALLOVER (Alice Project has also participated in the past, along with a few other groups). It’s really smart, in a way; I had only heard of a couple of these groups before learning about ALLOVER, so it promotes multiple indie idols. Further, ALLOVER is becoming more and more known, from what I’m aware, so it brings up every group.

Currently there are 18 full members on three teams with 3 “support members.” The group formed last year, 2012, and have so far released 3 singles. The other great thing about having all these members from different places is, I imagine, it allows for a lot better production values than if these groups were doing something alone. I was immediately impressed when I saw their latest PV. It’s simple, but it’s definitely good looking. I am also impressed by their voices; usually the (unfortunate) bias I have is that an indie idol group isn’t going to have vocal training, but ALLOVER is very listenable.

Ultimately, while I was intimidated at first, I’m really glad I found ALLOVER because now I know that they’re actually a pretty group, and one I’m going to keep my eye on for the future!

Ogawa Mana

OK, mini history lesson. Back in the day, Hello!Project was pretty much dominating the idol scene (other idols existed, but H!P was definitely pretty big). So, back in 2007, Tsunku created a rival project called Nice Girl Project, primarily by his own label TNX, as a rival to Hello!Project. So he took some Eggs and made The Possible (a group we’ll get to later), and Canary Club became one of the groups. Ogawa Mana was pretty much the star of Canary Club and of Nice Girl Project. Unfortunately, NGP has never really taken off, and eventually Canary Club stopped doing much and fell into obscurity. Their last single was in 2010, Ogawa Mana’s last solo release was in 2010 (a joint single with Berryz Koubou’s Sugaya Risako for the anime Gokujou! Mecha Mote Iinchou!).

So it’s really interesting to me that Ogamana is suddenly doing TIF. She hasn’t really released anything lately, as far as I know she’s not doing much of anything. But really, Nice Girl Project, in my opinion, mostly came around at a rough time. 2007-2009 wasn’t exactly the best time for idol acts, before the current idol boom. Ogamana has some good charisma and is a good star; she only came around at the wrong time.

So it seems that she has a new Youtube channel (Ogachannelofficial) with some new uploads and new songs. So it seems like she and The Possible are really trying to revive their careers. Which is definitely good for her; she’s cute, has that charisma, and is a really good singer, so I could see her having a good career resurgence with a little promotion and some good songs. I haven’t followed her that closely in the past (though I have a strange fascination with Nice Girl Project, so I check in on them now and again), but I’m really interested to see where she goes now, and I hope that this doesn’t fizzle out like last time.

Okite Porsche

Okite Porsche is from the new wave band Roman Porsche. But beyond that he’s worked with Vanilla Beans, and DJs. Last year DJed at the Idol Club Night, the show for the sexier, adult idol groups. I would honestly be surprised if he did something different this year.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2013: The Acts part 2

Posted on May 30, 2013 by serenyty

More groups have been announced! My work is cut out for me!

ICT Lovelies

A group I haven’t heard of yet! These girls come from the “Happy Super Generation,” which, from what I gather, gets girls to become full-fledged idols, and supports/trains them. A lot of focus is on the idea of them becoming “real idols,” and working hard to debut. So these are five girls (one generation) from a project aiming to get girls with no stage experience to become real idols. (One of the things that I always thought defined an idol was that they didn’t really need experience and were new to showbiz, but that’s another blog post).

ICT Lovelies released their first mini album “Dare ga Debut Dekiru no?” (Who can Debut?) last November and have since released another mini album. So even though there’s not too much about this group out yet, they have a surprising amount of original music out there. Most of what I found is rehearsal videos, and I haven’t seen a PV yet.

They seem to have a more rock-themed sound and are actually pretty good performers so far. The whole “we want to debut!” theme is a bit stale at this point, and there are plenty of groups doing that whole thing. Still, for all their emphasis on the group being new and fresh, they’re actually pretty strong already as a group, and I find myself interested in them, despite my skepticism at their concept and and at Happy Super Generation as a whole.

I have no idea if they’ll go anywhere from this, but I like them already, so I’d recommend checking them out.

Afilia Saga

Afilia Saga is one of the many groups that I feel like I should follow more but I don’t. And it’s a shame, because they’re definitely a solid group that’s worth paying attention to.

Afilia Saga, formerly Afilia Saga East, is formed of maids at the Afilia Saga maid cafe chain. The chain itself is set in an imaginary Afilia Kingdom, with a role-playing, magic concept to it as well. Needless to say, the ins and outs of the maid cafe chain are a bit irrelevant to fans outside of Japan (though I know I’d be all over this if I was in Japan), but it does explain why members have unique stage names, like Louise Sforzur and Laura Sucreine. It’s all a part of the maid cafe.

So far the group has released multiple singles and two albums (the most recent release was their album Archism, that came out in April of this year). If you aren’t familiar with idol groups other than the main mainstream ones, Tsunku (of Hello!Project fame) wrote their song “Knee-high Egoist.” He’s also producing the Akihabara Backstage Pass cafe and their idol group with the Afilia Saga producer Chiyomaru, and Afilia Saga is considered to be a part of that massive group.

Like I said earlier, this is a group I wish I’d follow. I like the concept (though I wish I’d see more of the whole fantasy world in their PVs, from what I’ve seen at least), and most of the songs/PVs I’ve heard are quite good. This is a well-produced group with really good production values, so if you want a group that’s not quite as indie as the rest of Tokyo Idol Festival, Afilia Saga might be a good group for you.

Victory

This is a hard band to look up. Victory is not a very good idol group name if you want people to be able to easily look you up.

That said, I’m not finding anything on them, and if you know anything please tell me. There’s no webpage linked, and all I can find is this picture on the TIF site. They’re holding guitars so I guess they’re more of a band? Perhaps they’re a self-composed idol group, like Kurikamaki, and just picked a name that’s really tricky.

Otherwise I’m stumped. Sorry guys.

EDIT: This morning I was alerted that Victory created their official site.

http://anagashima.wix.com/victory-

They were a band of five girls created when they were in their last year of Elementary school. Now they’re a high school age band, and have participated in Teens Rock Festibal in HITACHINAKA as well as Rock in Japan 2011. So as opposed to be more idol focused, it feels like they’re going the route of SCANDAL and other bands.

In 2011 they released their first single “Niji” (rainbow) and have since released another single, “Home.”

They have some videos on their website, and I have to say that even though I wouldn’t classify them as idols, they kind of fit into my alternative/indie rock genre that I like to listen to when I’m not listening to JPop. These girls are clearly talented (the vocalist is wonderful and there’s some great instrument playing in Home) and I can see myself becoming a fan. So if you’re open to rock and bands as opposed to strictly idols, take a listen.

Usa Usa Shoujo Club

This is the group behind one of my favorite idol groups, Rhymeberry. While Rhymeberry was a subgroup, they’ve become their own separate act so I’ll cover them as such.

The group currently has 11 members that perform regularly at the Akasaka Genki theater. The average age of the members is a very young 13 years old, because they (like Sakura Gakuin) graduate the girls once they hit high school age. Personally it’s not my favorite tactic, and I think it’s one that ultimately hurts groups (especially since they have to graduate some of the popular members), but if you like really young idol singers then Usa Usa Shoujo Club is one to check out.

They’ve had multiple subgroups in their time; Chu Ni, Zipcode, and now Little Rabbits. Rhymeberry, the rap subgroup, has been the most successful. However, in the past year Usa Usa Shoujo Club has released their debut single “Number One” which sold 1000 copies (which tells you what level of popularity they’re currently at).

Personally, while I like the group, it’s a bit hard to follow all the new members and graduations, especially since the main focus is on performing. The group is pretty good, though, and they’re very cute, so if you can get past that mandatory graduations thing then I definitely would recommend them to you.

Also, go read my friend Magic Thomas Jefferson’s write up of going to an Usa Usa Shoujo Club event HERE. He talks a bit about going to one of their live events, and helped me out getting my initial information about the group last year (which got me into Rhymeberry).

S★Spicy 1

This is one of the first acts of the year that I’ve never heard of before, and wow it’s kind of an interesting one. This act actually comes from Stardust Promotions of Momoiro Clover Z, Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku and Team Syachihoko fame. Only, this has been around before MomoClo’s big major debut in 2010.

This was originally a group of “big sister” idols known as S Spicy, but became a solo project of Kurita Moe, S Spicy 1. They released one single “Exotic Spice” in 2010 but haven’t done much of anything since.

This feels like they’re doing what Nice Girl Project has done, by trying to bring back projects from old (See: The Possible, Ogawa Mana). The only songs from this group/solo act, Exotic Spice and Crying Face, are on the official website and definitely aren’t bad at all. So it’ll be interesting if they actually try promoting this, considering how well Stardust has been doing lately.

Unfortunately, this lack of activity and the name have made finding videos about this group pretty difficult. So if you like Stardust groups you might be a bit frustrated trying to find any more. All I can provide is the link to their website where you can listen to the songs on their site (Exotic Spice is pretty good)

http://official.stardust.co.jp/s-spicy/profile/profile.html

Top 10 Idol Songs about Summer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by serenyty

Summer is upon us! As an idol fan it’s a really great season, not only because of events like the Tokyo Idol Festival, but because many idol groups release really great summer songs. AKB48’s Sayonara Crawl just came out, and NMB48’s Bokura no Eureka is coming up! It’s times like these that I thought I’d make a list of my top 10 songs about summer by an idol act.

My honorable mention is Whiteberry’s “Natsu Matsuri.” Whiteberry isn’t an idol act, but this song has been covered many times (by idols, occasionally) and is a really excellent song about summer festivals. I love this song so much that I sing it at karaoke year round; it’s just excellent.
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10. Poolside Daisakusen -Idoling!!!

When I first started making this list, I did not intend for this song to make it. I remembered liking it, but that it wasn’t memorable. Still, I decided to rewatch the PV which I remembered was excellent. And while the PV holds up and is a really great PV, the song surprised me with how much I liked it. It’s a bit different from the other songs on this list and has kind of an old-fashioned sound to it. However it’s really high energy and fun in a totally different way from the rest of this list (that I attribute to the fast back and forth and ‘whoaaas’ in the chorus). It’s not necessarily the most classic idol summer song, but it’s fun and definitely worth a listen.

9. Pareo wa Emerald – SKE48

The 48 groups have a lot of summer songs. This is something I noted a while back, when I said that AKB48 does a good job of playing to the seasons that songs are released. Whereas Morning Musume only has one summer themed single song (Manatsu no Kousen), every 48 group releases a summer song almost every summer. It’s a good idea; even in the US, the concept of a summer song is still present, more than any other season.

This meant, however, I had to narrow things down to the best of the best. So while Gomen ne Summer and Aishiteraburu are excellent songs I adore, Pareo wa Emerald comes up on top. The reason it ranks fairly lowly on this list is because I’d say that the lyrics, more than any other on this list, focus more on a relationship than summer. Yeah, I know almost every song on this list has an element of romance or summer love to it, but Pareo has some of my favorite lyrics about relationships.

It has a bit of a different tone than some of AKB and NMB’s summer songs (that I’ll get to later, *hint*) but that’s not necessarily bad; in fact, it sets itself apart from other songs. Still, at its core it’s a high energy summer song that is a lot of fun to listen to.

8. Nagiichi – NMB48

While the decision between Nagiichi and Pareo was a tricky one, I ultimately went with Nagiichi. I have a soft spot for idol songs that do shortened titles, and Nagiichi’s one of the best; short for Nagisa de Ichiban Kawaii girl (the cutest girl on the beach). Which could apply for all of them really (but it applies to Watanabe Miyuki most of all, in my opinion!)

The start is reminiscent of Ponytail to Shushu, but it quickly changes to be its own, NMB48 flavored 48 song. It’s a little sexier, but has very similar sensibilities in its energy and level of fun. This was NMB’s 4th single, and in my opinion it’s at this point that NMB really stepped up and showed AKB48 and SKE48 that they had become a strong group as well.

NMB48 recently has started promotion for their new single, Bokura no Eureka. While it’s my favorite 48 single in a while, and I love the song, it’s not quite a standard summer song in the same way that Nagiichi is. However, it does show a bit of a more mature NMB48 and I whole-heartedly recommend you check it out.

7. Bikini wa Niawanai – Watarirouka Hashiritai 7

This is a song I’m betting most of you aren’t as familiar with, unless you’re a pretty big Watarirouka Hashiritai fan. This is a B-Side to Hetappi Wink, and right away gives a pretty summery image. The first guitar riff alone brings thoughts of the Beach Boys, and the whole song is very reminiscent of American surf music, a genre which I have to associate with the beach and summeritime.

The lyrics are a bit unconventional, but fitting; it’s about how bikinis don’t suit the girls, and even though they’re older than they appear they still don’t have the bodies for bikinis. I’d take this to be an almost anthem for any of us girls who have felt unconscious about their body; this is a fairly rare sentiment to get from an idol song!

The lyrics fit, and the song itself fits summertime in a way most idol songs don’t.

6. MAX Otome Gokoro – Super Girls

I’ve never been able to get much into Super Girls. I like some of the members and the songs, but for some reason the group has never grabbed me. However, Super Girls has done a summer single for the past few years, and their first summer single (and their second single ever) remains my favorite Super Girls song.

It’s just bubbly idol fun which is a lot of what I like about it (and ‘doki doki natsu dokyun’ might be the most idol-y lyric ever). While their later single Puri Puri Summer Kiss is fun, Max Otome Gokoro feels like it’s focusing more on general summer fun than Puri Puri (I was personally a bit put off by its PV). Plus, I like Max Otome Gokoro a lot better.

Not much else can be said other than that it’s fun and a great summer song!

5. Coco Natsu – Momoiro Clover

One of my strongest memories about becoming a MomoClo fan is waiting after Ikuze! Kaitou Shoujo for what came next. I watched pretty much everything MomoClo had ever done, and I was waiting. While Pinky Jones ended up the single, Coco Natsu was the first thing any MomoClo fan saw after Ikuze, so it had a lot of hype for a lot of Momoiro Clover fans.

And while I would say Ikuze is a lot stronger, Coco Natsu didn’t disappoint! Definitely one of the odder songs on this list, pretty much everything about this is perfect. I especially like the verses with the back and forth between solos and the whole group’s “bashibaa coco natsu baby” parts. The instrumentation is also spot on, with some good background guitar stuff and often a tropical sound. The girls are very memorable too, with the repetition of ‘kokokokoko’ at various parts as well as the bridge part where they’re all shouting various things. While I keep bringing in high energy songs on this list (and there are more to come), this is another fantastic example.

This song is perfect for MomoClo and is a perfect example of what I miss about Momoiro Clover (in relation to Momoiro Clover Z): it’s high energy, a bit strange, and just a whole lot of fun, perfect for a good summer song.

4. Ponytail to Shushu (honorable mentions: Everyday Kachuusha and Manatsu no Sounds Good – AKB48

When coming up with this list, one of my goals was variety. My hardest choice, being honest, was picking which AKB48 summer single I wanted to put on here. Because really, if you want a good summer song, Ponytail to Shushu, Everyday Kachuusha and Manatsu no Sounds Good are all good choices. However, I didn’t want a top 10 list with three AKB48 single songs and two 48 group single songs as well, so I chose the first big summer single for AKB48, Ponytail to Shushu.

Ponytail to Shushu is, to me, one of the most underrated idol songs. Not that it undersold, but that it doesn’t really get enough credit that it deserves. RIVER was the big song that really put AKB on the map. Heavy Rotation became the big AKB classic song. But before Heavy Rotation came, Ponytail to Shushu really, in my mind, cemented AKB48 as a huge idol force and that RIVER wasn’t going to be their most remembered song.

More than that, though, Ponytail to Shushu is really, to me, a perfect pop song. Even among AKB48 fans, Ponytail to Shushu really seems to be looked down on as frivolous and not as good as some of the other songs. And while Ponytail to Shushu might not have the depth of some of the other songs, for what it’s trying to do it’s nearly perfect. From the first piano notes, it does an amazing job of ramping you up into high energy that continues throughout the whole song, but never feels old. The back and forth throughout the chorus is really spectacular, and I love the instrumentation; the background instruments do a lot to keep up the tension within the song. The whole song is energetic and has a high tension to it, and really feels like a great summer song. It doesn’t need depth because it’s not trying to be more than it is: a REALLY fantastic, high energy pop song, which it does superbly.

3. Chu! Natsu Party – 3nin Matsuri

One of the aspects of golden era Hello!Project I really miss the most are the summer shuffles. While the Satoyama units kind of do that now, there was something really great about getting the strangest combination of Hello!Project members together for a summery single and a little competition. While 3nin Matsuri isn’t the strangest combination of members nor is it the strangest song, it is one of the most fun songs, and it’s the song that I would say most captures summer.

There’s a reason that, in the competition to sell the most singles, Chu! Natsu Party won. While all three members were all popular in their own right, the other groups had more members and girls like Abe Natsumi and Goto Maki. But Chu! Natsu Party is just bubbly energetic fun. There’s nothing complicated about the melody, nor the lyrics. The song’s about going to the beach in the summer, with the onomatopoetic word “chu” (kiss) repeated ad nauseum. But that’s kind of what a good summer song does; it’s fun and frivolous, but that’s the point.

While I have a strong fondness for 10nin Matsuri’s “Dancing! Natsu Matsuri” in that it’s more ridiculous, to me Chu! Natsu Matsuri is more accessible, more fun and really more of a summer song. In that way, I’d say it’s almost the definition of a perfect summer song.

2. Natsu no Tobira – Matsuda Seiko

A mini history lesson, for people who don’t know Seiko. Matsuda Seiko was one of, if not the biggest idol in Japan in the 80s. Whereas Yamaguchi Momoe dominated the 70s, Matsuda Seiko dominated the 80s and had a string of #1 hits. She’s considered the “eternal idol” and has been an extremely active singer. While I like a lot of classic idols, Matsuda Seiko’s definitely my favorite; she released a lot of good music, and has a real stage presence to her performances. Even watching videos on Youtube, it’s easy to see how Japan fell in love with her in the 80s and beyond.

Natsu no Tobira is one of her early hits, and, in my opinion, one of her greatest. The steady beat in the background, the strings, and Seiko’s voice all contribute to a truly legendary song. Seiko’s performance is really strongest with the line “suki da yo to itteru no/masaka uso deshou!” where her voice really shines. One of the repeated lines is the rising “Fresh! Fresh! Fresh!” and that’s really how this song makes you feel. It’s energetic and exciting, and everything works together to make this a true summer classic.

1. Yeah Meccha Holiday – Matsuura Aya

The first thing that comes to mind, at least for me, when it comes to idols and summer. Yeah! Meccha Holiday is something of a modern classic (though it was released 11 years ago), and has been covered quite a bit, notably on Sashihara Rino’s first single ‘Soredemo Suki da yo.’ The song is basically about being excited for summer, and does it very very well.

Even though it’s been covered before, Matsuura Aya really delivers it well. Even though she has a really excellent voice, she really pulled off these high energy songs with a lot of aplomb. There’s really nothing like the original.

This song both has the lyrics and the energy for a good summer song. It’s upbeat and happy, and exactly what I think of when I think of summer music.