The Idol Suicides

Hayasaka Nanse Has Some Harsh Words For the PTA!

/ supremenothing

You totally know Hayasaka Nanse even if you don’t recognize her name right away. She was a member of the legendary (at least around these parts) Shoujo Kakka no International, i.e. one of the most groundbreaking and seminal chika idol units of all time!  Yeah sure, they never got “famous” but they certainly made an impression that still resonates with the idol underground. At the time, Nanse went by the stage name “Fukumaru Mochi”, and shortly after that group disbanded, she became known as DJ OMOCHI when she joined up with, yep, you got it, the beloved rap-idol unit RHYMEBERRY! See, I knew you knew her!

When RHYMEBERRY came to an end, Hayasaka Nanse didn’t join any new groups, but she didn’t fade away either. She maintained her social media presence and streamed live fairly frequently, stating her current role as a vlogger personality and voice actress. (Two frequent post-idol career paths.) And while I don’t fully expect her to entirely brand herself as an idol again per se, it’s very pleasing to see she still records new music on occasion, and now has even graced us with an MV that fits appropriately within the Homicidols canon.  Are you stoked yet? Well, you oughta be! Let’s check it out!

Continue reading →

Cinema and Boy CQ Present “The Picture Show of Chronic Deja Vu”…

/ supremenothing

Our number-one favorite coed-experimental-theatre-art-idol duo, Cinema and Boy CQ (You may call them Densho to shorten it.) have graced us with a new release! Following up their groundbreaking album The Soundtrack of Different Dimension Travel”, the pair have digitally unveiled their second full-length. due out on a  physical disk on May 18.

For the more adventurous masses who yearn for bold, left-of-center experiences that push the edges of what one typically considers to be within the “idol” genre, this is the far and above one of the most eagerly awaited albums of 2020. However, due to the recent historical-scale health crisis, this album was actually delayed slightly, but like all great art, it just simply wasn’t right to suppress work that yearns to be heard. And so Densho and TRASH-UP!! Records have generously gifted us this release in advance  courtesy of digital streaming platforms, and you should by all means immerse yourself in this rich audio/visual journey…

The new album is called “The Picture Show of Chronic Deja Vu”, which right off the bat is a pretty cool sounding title that conjures up feelings hallucinatory projected images that match up (or even clash) with relaxed moments of solitude. It wouldn’t be the first time visual and audio art colluded to make for a serious headtrip, y’ know?

Anyway, right on cue with the new album, there’s also a couple of MVs to help get you in the Densho mood. First up is “No. 9”, directed by Yukkyun himself…

Continue reading →

Homicidols Archives: The Idol Suicides #3

/ Papermaiden

Welcome to Homicidols Archives, an attempt to capture and document the ephemeral and ever-changing entity that is Idol.

Here is the reprint of the first instalment of The Idol Suicides, a column originally written for now-defunct 20hz magazine by Sokichi Osada, the producer of legend-worthy disbanded group Girls Excellency International & currently the producer of Cinema and Boy CQ (Den’ei to Shounen CQ), movie soundtrackers extraordinaire duo.
The Idol Suicides #03 was originally published in March 2017, in the fourth issue of 20hz.

For an introduction to the series, click here. For the other installments, it’s this way.

The text of the article is untouched and as Osada-san sent it to me. However, considering the original layout of the article had images and video content to supplement documentary appartés. I was linked to all idols videos, they are presented as they were. All other hyperlinks have been added by the contributor posting this.
Continue reading →

Homicidols Archives: The Idol Suicides #02

/ Papermaiden

Welcome to Homicidols Archives, an attempt to capture and document the ephemeral and ever-changing entity that is Idol.

Here is the reprint of the second instalment of The Idol Suicides, a column originally written for now-defunct 20hz magazine by Sokichi Osada, the producer of legend-worthy disbanded group Girls Excellency International and currently the producer of Cinema and Boy CQ (Den’ei to Shounen CQ), movie soundtrackers duo extraordinaire.
The Idol Suicides #02 was originally published in May 2016, in the third issue of 20hz.
For an introduction to the series, click here. For the other installments, it’s this way.

The text of the article is untouched and as Osada-san sent it to me. However, considering the original layout of the article had images and video content to supplement documentary appartés. I was linked to all idols videos, they are presented as they were. All other hyperlinks have been added by the contributor posting this.

Continue reading →

Homicidols Archives: The Idol Suicides #1

/ Papermaiden

Welcome to Homicidols Archives, an attempt to capture and document the ephemeral and ever-changing entity that is Idol.

Here is the reprint of the first instalment of The Idol Suicides, a column originally written for now-defunct 20hz magazine by Sokichi Osada, the producer of legend-worthy disbanded group Girls Excellency International & currently the producer of Cinema and Boy CQ (Den’ei to Shounen CQ), movie soundtrackers extraordinaire.

The Idol Suicides #01 was originally published in April 2016, in the second issue of 20hz. For an introduction to the series, click here. For the other installments, it’s this way.

The text of the article is untouched and as Osada-san sent it to me. However, the original layout of the article had images and video content to supplement documentary appartés. I was linked to all idols videos, they are presented as they were. All other hyperlinks have been added by the contributor posting this. Continue reading →

Homicidols Archives: The Idol Suicides | An Introduction

/ Papermaiden

Here at Homicidols, we love to dissect Idol. No, I do not mean dissecting the girls themselves, you sicko, I meant Idol capital I, the essence, the thing, the industry. Consider the widespread misconceptions & ambiguities around mainstream idols common in English coverage. If even the big names cannot be described properly with the profusion of information already translated and shared by fans, emergent groups appeared an unsolvable mystery, unless you were on location, had good Japanese skills and got chummy enough with the manager of the idol group you wanted to know more about. Ricky Wilson, the manager of our beloved NECRONOMIDOL, has shed some light on his experience working in the idol industry, but for a rigorous investigation, you need a variety of sources.

20 Hz Magazine1 was a bilingual music monthly web magazine, backed by Powertap. They published a total of four issues. Starting with the second issue, they published a column titled “The Idol Suicides”. Written by Sokichi Osada, it describes his own experiences, starting when he skeptically followed a friend at an idol live, and against all expectations began producing an idol group himself.

The writing was pleasant to read, but also trifled with details, including the different ways idols are paid. We recommended the article back in September 2016 2, and it became a precious resource for the English-speaking international idol fan community. It became one of my favourite articles to read, the kind you favourite and re-read over and over again, and use it to prove points.

A couple of weeks ago, I settled to do just that and refresh my memory. I needed my dose of “The Idol Suicides”.

But when I loaded the link, the website was gone. Continue reading →