SENANAN and a Mini-BURST GIRL/Guso Drop Reunion Coming to the US

SENANAN is returning to the US and bringing Miyako (HINAGAKU. and ex. BURST GIRL and Guso Drop) and  Rinchama (Sentimental Shishunki and ex. BURST GIRL and Guso Drop) along with her. The three will be appearing at Oni-con XIX in Galveston, Texas, November 11th through the 13th. SENANAN will be representing Tokyo street fashion brands KRYclothing and XRN. Rinchama and Miyako will be working as models for XRN and also performing a mini-live, reuniting as performers for the first time since departing BURST GIRL. Continue reading

Let’s Discover Some Idols: RIPLIE

Oh man, when was the last time we posted two consecutive Let’s Discovers, especially from two different people? Weird. But this is what happens when the MVs and major announcements (that are worth posting about) and stuff are kind of rare yet. It’s a good thing, you know? New and emerging idols are kind of the lifeblood of this whole goofy scene, what with the constant disbandments and graduations and all. And when we get a debut that feels kind of pre-fab and already likely to drop like a bomb, that’s kind of interesting!

Which brings us to RIPLIE, who first bubbled to notice around these parts when SENANAN (who is producer-san here) made it known that she had this thing started up. Of course people then flocked to see what would happen and when, and the when is “in a week” and the what is pretty much what you’d expect from SENANAN driving an idol unit themed around the consequences of being an always-online blowhard!

Continue reading

SUDDENDEATH is Reborn

SENANAN has never done anything conventional. When she told us about her marriage and pregnancy she also announced several active projects that she would be stepping away from. Conspicuously absent was any word about the future of her idol unit SUDDENDEATH.

Now that both SENANAN and Osuzu are back from maternity leave, they are reviving SUDDENDEATH, and they’re bringing the kids.

Their first event will be a “Mom Meeting” at the KRY Cafe in January. Children are welcome!! They also announced a resurrection live in March. I’m not sure if the kids have to stay home for that one. Continue reading

SENANAN Makes Some Life Changing Announcements

Yesterday SENANAN, our favorite unstoppable ball of Monster Ultra Blue-fueled energy, took a break from her 300 active projects to make a few surprise announcements. First, she’s gotten married.

The lucky groom is OFFPACO, drummer for the rapcore group HOTVOX. Continue reading

Get to Know SENANAN!

Have you ever wanted to interview an idol? Yes, I’m sure that you have. What about somebody who’s idolicity is a little here and there, but who does things that you like? And what if it’s virtual? Or what if it’s virtual in the sense that you’re not only not in the same place, but that your questions are posed not even by you, even though they’re yours, so in fact you are doing the interviewing!

Such is the opportunity presented here and now by Chaotic Harmony, the fine people behind this merch stuff and also bringing Candye Syrup (right!) and SENANAN, who this is all about, to the United States last summer. Daemon had a nice encounter with the young lady; this could be your chance to contribute to the next knowledge transfer:

Seriously though, follow those instructions; this opportunity expires tonight! And then think about going to see SENANAN in person in Tulsa next year!

Daemon Interviews Idols: SENANAN

Daemon‘s had himself one hell of an idol-meeting August, friends, and the still-not-last entry from his fine run of work is this interview with SENANAN. Kudos to D, thanks to Hailey at Chaotic Harmony for booking and translating, and of course big thanks to Senanan!

There is a Circle K in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, down the street from the Sheraton Grand Hotel that hosts Saboten Con each year over the Labor Day weekend. Many customers and con-goers who happened to pop into the convenience store during this past convention encountered a stunned clerk who could not stop telling each and every one of his customers about his unforgettable encounter with an energetic young Japanese woman who had reacted to the place like it was a Disneyland theme park. He would tell how she had come into the store like a tornado, about her joyful exclamations in Japanese to all the glowing lights and colors, how she marveled at the 12-foot-long fountain drinks bar before purchasing a mountain of Monster energy drinks, all pink or blue food items on offer, and then bounced off into the darkness.

The young woman the clerk had encountered that night was Senanan (stylized, SENANAN), who also documented her Circle K adventure on her Twitter feed. That this five-minute encounter turned into an unforgettable moment the clerk was compelled to share with anyone who would listen (possibly, to this day) should not be surprising. While Senanan is a singer, DJ, model, fashion designer, and social media personality, at her core she is primarily an unstoppable ball of charismatic energy.

Fans of chika idol may have become aware of Senanan because of her connections to the creative team supporting kawaii-punk idol unit Candye Syrup. She is highly active on several social media platforms, often with (former) mermaid-blue member Mai-chan in tow. She is also a manager and buyer for Candye Syrup boutiques and well known for cultivating a unique fashion footprint in the hyper-competitive world of Tokyo Street fashion. Senanan’s aesthetic infuses traditional Chinese fashion elements with Western sportswear and yume kawaii. It’s a unique, and comfortably wearable, combination of Western kakkoii and Japanese kawaii with the Chinese elements providing a playful, throwback twist. Continue reading

TFW Idols Have Their Last Lives Abroad: Candye Syrup at SabotenCon

U.S. idol fans on the West Coast are the luckiest of us all, because they’re the ones who get to sweep up the handful of idol lives that trickle across the Pacific. Our man Daemon, hot off the East Meets West Music Fest, hit up SabotenCon over the weekend to connect with Candye Syrup for their last gasp, a remarkable touch of luck.

Candye Syrup, who saw their debut on August 19, 2017 at Shibuya Milkyway in Tokyo, has now held their final performance on August 31 2018, just 377 short days later. The only good thing in this whole wretched mess is that Candye Syrup’s last live was held at Saboten Con in Phoenix, Arizona, so we in the Southwestern U.S. were given the blessed opportunity to send them off.

The crowd that gathered to see Candye Syrup’s last live contained a handful of American chika idol diehards, but was primarily made up of Saboten attendees whose familiarity to the group was watching a few videos on YouTube after hearing they would be performing at the Con. Some had been turned into instant fans on first exposure and were a bit shell-shocked to learn that they would be witnessing both Candye Syrup’s U.S. debut and final show. Continue reading

Candye Syrup Is Coming to America

I know! Like, people were aware that Candye Syrup was sniffing around at the possibility of overseas performances, and I’m still pretty surprised at the whole thing. This one comes via Chaotic Harmony, the folks behind the merch survey, and their promotions arm.

The event is Saboten Con, which I at first read as Sabaton Con and got especially excited, Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in Phoenix. Candye Syrup will do:

  • A live concert
  • Q&A
  • Autographs
  • Fashion show
  • And another TBD event

SENANAN will be part of the festivities, too, doing all of the same stuff but a DJ set on top of it.

It’s gonna be loud, you guys. You can join the con here.