The Evolution of XTEEN

/ Homicidol Maniac

The worst thing about not having time for your #1 pastime in life (idol) is always feeling out of the loop. So it was yesterday, when I caught a few spare minutes and was cruising through Twitter to find interesting material for the Weekender, and lo and behold caught this tweet from XTEEN. It doesn’t seem like much more than standard-issue boasting of the type that certain chika corners will get into, but XTEEN’s always been the best at that and hell, there must be more to this clip and link and stuff. What could it be? What have I been missing? Well, friend, let’s look at it, and oh holy heck look, I made a post this week!

ALL CLOWNS indeed

Now if you give that video a spin, cool yes nice and good XTEEN music, but those are all comments about XTEEN from peers and the like. Posting it is like planting a flag: We’re awesome and these people know it. Now, the question of whether very many other people are in tune enough with those folks and follow along in an extremely deliberate bandwagon effect, I guess that’s up to fate.

Also, let’s talk about how “loudest horrorpunk angels” immediately makes me think of my favorite Entombed song

But anyway, the real point is in the article that’s linked there, which gets into this revision of XTEEN, if you will, in which they’re fully adopting this whole “new black” identity (love, btw) along with going the same direction as an act much beloved of this website, Minna no Kodomo-chan, and adopting a permanent posture as an idols-fronted band, with Saki from Mary’s Blood (of course) leading the way. Long ago, when Minna was just emerging in this new form, I’d speculated that it was not only a good and smart move from a business perspective, but possibly something that could emerge as a trend as idols sought competitive advantages with different audiences. The second half there hasn’t panned out much! Or maybe, not just yet, and XTEEN is coming along as lead for a next wave.

Regardless, I love even the concept of the alignment, and while my bullishness on XTEEN has always wavered, it’s these well-plotted conceptual moves that give me confidence that good things are afoot.