We are one third of the way through the Homicidols calendar year (which runs December through November for REASONS) so we thought it was time to make note of the songs, albums and MVs that we’ve had on repeat for the last four months. When I say “We,” I mean Team Homicidols and the denizens of the Homicidols’ Discord server. We’ve surveyed the entirety of the various elements that make up the Homicidols’ hive mind and come up with the following nominations for best singles, EPs, albums and MVs of the first quadrimester of our 2023.
Isiliel
2022: The Year of the Solo Idol Project
We are nearing the time when we start wrapping up 2022 which, as I’ve mentioned a few times in the Weekender over the past few months, could be dubbed The Year of the Solo Project. While we saw an enormous increase in the number of new idol projects in general versus the last couple of years, the sheer number of idols striking out on their own was something new and particularly noticeable.
The origins of chika idol are not well documented, at least in readily available, English language sources, but the apocryphal tales out of the late 90s are of solo, self-produced idols trying to attract audiences to small, basement stages of clubs in Akihabara. Perhaps it was the self reflection driven by the isolation of COVID that kindled a desire in so many idols to stand on stage alone and turn the genre back to it’s fabled roots. Whatever the reason behind the phenomenon, the end results have been pretty stellar.
The Unstoppable Force That Is Himari Tsukishiro And Isiliel
In her eight years of activity, Himari Tsukishiro has proven herself one of the most determined chika idols in the business; having recently claimed the title of longest-reigning NECRONOMIDOL member, overseeing more member switches than your average football coach, her admitted refusal to take a day off, and in just the last few years, branching into stage acting and a solo career, the latter of which recently commemorated its first anniversary. There are many reasons why Himari has become one of the most recognizable and prominent figures in the alt-idol fandom, and her sheer willpower and dedication in a notoriously-volatile industry is one of the most overlooked.
And yet, I know I wasn’t the only one who worried about her future upon the announcement of NECRONOMIDOL’s hiatus two months ago. While she reassured us that she wouldn’t be gone for too long, the fandom rippled with uneasy deliberations of “But what if this is it?” Lucky for us, though, Himari kept to her word, with the announcement of a US tour beginning later this month. But that wouldn’t be the last we’d hear from her.
NECRONOMIDOL Announces Hiatus
NECRONOMIDOL have announced the immediate departure of Hisui Kurogane and the imminent end to their current system. The group will then enter a period of hiatus.
The reasons behind the suspension of activities are detailed very transparently in the following statements from producer Ricky and member Hisui.
【大切なお知らせ】https://t.co/1Cg7LH4Lvz
【An important announcement】https://t.co/FTZfUwOXNG
— NECRONOMIDOL (@NECRONOMIDOL) August 10, 2022
Let’s Beat The Heat At The Isiliel Beach
As certain parts of the world is preparing for a heatwave this coming week, let the refreshing sight of Tsukishiro Himari having fun(?) in the ocean cool you down.
Homicidols’ Songs of Summer, 2022
We have reached the height of summer, that magical season when school’s out, parties are at the pool, blankets are on the beach and indelible memories are being made, each one set to a signature soundtrack destined to trigger nostalgic memories well into our sunset years (unless you’re reading this in Australia right now in which case, at least the snakes are hibernating ?). This seemed like the perfect time to ask Team Homicidols to put down the margaritas and fireworks for a second and share those songs that they’ve got on repeat in their summertime playlists.
Here are the songs that will forever come to define the dog days of 2022:
NECRONOMIDOL news!! New Member Debut, European Tour Dates and a New Single for Isiliel
Monday was NECRONOMIDOL-day as our favorite ultradark unit filled the morning with one significant news drop after another. Perhaps the biggest piece of information was the unveiling of NECROMA’s newest member at their “never to die” two-man live with XTEEN.
The new Darkness Girl to be joining Himari, Malin and Meica is Hisui Kurogane.
【新体制・新ヴィジュアル公開】
▷ 鐵妃粋
▷Hisui Kurogane@hisui_kurogane#ネクロ魔#lappelduvide2022 pic.twitter.com/gKm92uF3RE— NECRONOMIDOL (@NECRONOMIDOL) June 20, 2022
The Contenders: Team Homicidols Best of 2022 (So Far)
We lost so many veteran and A-list talents last year that there were thoughts that 2022 would have a dearth of compelling new chika idol releases. To our surprise, the first several months of this new year have instead seen veteran idols producing some of their best ever work while new units have been dropping captivating releases from the word, “Go!” We usually wait until much later in the year to start tossing around contenders for “Best of the Year” nods, but Team Homicidols is finding ourselves so overwhelmed by the volume, diversity and quality of new music that we felt it was important to make some mid-year citations for posterity.
