REIRIE, the most highly anticipated, and surprising, new unit of 2023 dropped their debut MV yesterday. REIRIE marks the reunion of two of the most highly revered talents in chika idol, Rei Kuromiya and Rie Kaneko, who first endeared themselves to the world with LADYBABY. The re-assembly of this well-loved duo was announced on New Years Day, which makes the title of their first single entirely appropriate for this Year of the Rabbit.
Kuromiya Rei
My Response to Rei Leaving Ladybaby May Surprise Many
As it turns out, Kuromiya Rei’s taking a break from Ladybaby performance due to throat issues was a more ominous development than anybody reckoned; for that and other reasons, she’s withdrawing, and the whole Ladybabyverse is in an absolute tizzy:
誠に申し訳ございませんが、
黒宮れいがThe Idol Formerly Known As LADYBABY脱退、及びツアー中止
となります。
詳しくは、公式サイトをご一読お願いできますと幸いです。
LADYBABY PROJECThttps://t.co/I3vrjE3lZQ— LADYBABY (@ladybaby2015) November 17, 2017
Rei: Out immediately. Rie: Wait and see. Ladybaby: On hiatus, but effectively done. Continue reading
Inside the Homicidol Mind: Kuromiya Rei on Being Idol
Happy Monday, amigos. Seeing as how quiet things had been lately in the idolverse, I had originally intended to make today a little introspective, a chance to look inward into the minds of the people who provide the entertainment that we all love so much. But now we can do that across a couple of days intead!
Today’s entry is none other than Kuromiya Rei, who was interviewed for IDOL AND READ a few months ago. Kayseur put together a very thorough translation for the piece, which runs the gamut from idle talk about relationships to her feelings about Ladybeard and her broad musical career, among a number of other topics.
On addressing her past
You can’t convey all of your feelings through text alone. Aren’t social networks nothing but a place to flatter your ego? Text isn’t enough, if you want to talk, you can just come meet me after our lives during the goodies sales, and if you can’t come, just call me out in the street! Judging people on looks alone isn’t very pretty. There are times when I talk a bit harshly and some where my tweets are a bit extreme, but I don’t want people to look at my words, I want people to look at the real me. I don’t want to be judged on my past, that’s why I deleted all of my tweets.
The Tragedy and Triumph of Kuromiya Rei
Note: If you want to get a handle on everything that happened with this story, why I added the point below, read the comments.
This is something that people need to take in.
[instagram_embedding url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BNZRmyKBKfjpAOkBws8ugPZv_YcVSVSazXuD-A0/”]
If you can’t Japanese, Viz Major provided a translation (with extra clarification in the comments) [Viz Major’s post was taken down; a translation appears in the comments]. This is important stuff.
The girl in the picture is Kuromiya Rei, mostly known for her work in Ladybaby but also of Miss iD and Brats fame. She shared this photo as a celebration of her 16th birthday. The image belies real emotional damage being worked out by a young woman who’s been an object of sexploitation since she started modeling at an age in the single digits. Her history has been covered here and extensively gone over all over the J-music world. It in no way should be considered an indictment of Rei, but of the adults who exploited and failed her.
There’s a lot of pain in her message, and the emotional and psychological damage are written plainly on her face, but she also shows hope and happiness with where she is now.
Editing to clarify: The updated translation paints a different picture of Rei’s current state; she is happy with where she is now, and doesn’t feel dead inside the way she did before. Her biggest issue is the mounds of haterade from people who want to hold her responsible for the choices made for her by her parents and agents when she was a child. Basically everybody that I just mentioned who isn’t named Rei should be thrown off a bridge.
Returning to original: Her story is working toward a much happier ending than I’m sure she sometimes feels. Continue reading
