Let’s Discover Some Idols

Let’s Discover some Idols: DEMO

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It is not often that a MV comes along that causes the alternative idol fandom to issue a collective, “What the F…?” This is a genre whose foundational keystones include iconic moments of visual shock such as BiS running naked through Aokigahara, Guso Drop being splattered in blood and other bodily fluids, and the graphic introduction of Brand new Idol SHiT. It takes a lot to get the crowd that’s been further desensitized by the  X-rated shenanigans of PLANCK STARS to do a double take, so when an upstart new unit makes this jaded audience go, “This is unhinged!”, we need to take a closer look.

The unit is questions is DEMO who just released this MV for their debut single, “Rice Music.”

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Get Exposed to Chemical X: We Go Behind the Scenes of an Idol Debut

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On a recent winter evening in Japan, an over-reliance on Google Maps had Papermaiden and I well and truly lost in Shibuya. We were attempting to locate the address of a legendary dance studio that currently serves as the rehearsal space for NEO JAPONISM, APOKALIPPPS and other prominent chika idol units. Google insisted that the sought-after place was housed in a building among the side streets off Dogenzaka, but after fruitlessly circling through several alleyways, Papermaiden took over navigation. Soon after, Papermaiden’s efforts in orienteering led us to a single bright, square sign on a towering storefront among the thousands of others lighting the surrounding buildings and marking the target of our search.

Here, on the sidewalks of Shibuya, we met Hiroshi, the manger of the new chika idol unit, Chemical X. Papermaiden and I had been fortunate enough to be invited to attend the group’s rehearsal as the members prepared for their January 20th debut. It was a chilly evening, so the introductions were brisk: we quickly met Yossy, the group’s creator and producer, and members Amemiya R Galaxy, Chiimayu, Aoi Hitotsuki and Maho Setsuna. KILLERMACHINE, we were told, was running a bit late as she was coming from another commitment. After brief greetings, we hurried inside and upstairs to the warmth of the studio.

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Let’s Discover Some Vietnamese Idols

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The influence of Japanese-style alternative idol has, undeniably, been spreading further and further across the globe. Over the past couple of yeas, Homicidols has covered overseas idol units from Italy, South Korea, Thailand, Australia and, most recently, the Philippines, all of whom directly channel the style and spirit  (and, sometimes, language) of our favorite underground and indie idols in Japan.  This activity has become so widespread that Team Homicidols has encountered trouble covering it all.  It is why we recently brought FarFromSleep on board specifically to focus on activity in South Korea. It is also why, when Halien reached out to us and offered to put together an overview of the idol scene in Vietnam, our response was an enthusiastic, “Yes, please!”

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Neoteric and New To Us #05: More Idol Units Worth Knowing

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Welcome to our latest collection of notable idol units that have recently sprung into  existence or otherwise just entered our consciousness. The number of new groups being launched in 2022 continues to be pretty nuts. I have a feeling that the New Unit category of our Best of the Year awards will be a blood bath, but in a good way (not that there is any way for a blood bath to be good, but it’s a hot Sunday afternoon as I write this and I’m feeling too lazy to pick a new metaphor).

As I was wrapping this piece up I realized that almost all of the units we’ve included this round hail from Kansai. This was completely inadvertent, but serves as an auspicious reminder that, while Tokyo is the capital of the idol world, it isn’t the only source of exemplary alternative idol.  Kansai, the home of PassCode, DADAIDAI, Especia, WAGAMAMA RAKIA and countless others, continues to inspire some of the best in the genre, such as:

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Let’s Discover Some Idols, But Keep Them HUSH HUSH

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Screenshot from MV showing Yunipi from HUSH HUSH at a market with subtitle caption "my parents handed me the strawberry"

Yeah my mum was always insisting I eat fruit and stuff, what are parents like?!

There’s two of them.  They are Yunipi (pink) and Zousui (purple).  They’re from Aomori prefecture, right up on the northern tip of Japan’s main island.  And that, readers, is all I know.  Not much to fill an article with but – hah! – they are called HUSH HUSH after all!

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Emerging Units to Keep an Eye On: New and New to Us #04

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We have mentioned before how 2022 has seen an explosion of new indie and underground idol units with many showing signs of exceptional promise. That trend has continued over the past month, so we have again collected several of the new groups we’ll be watching most closely here.

We also have to commend these new idol units for coming up with much better names this year. It got so bad last year that we felt compelled to create a Questionable Name category for the 2021 year-end awards (won in a landslide by Anal Sex Penis, of course; STAiNY and C.LiTZ really dodged a bullet there). Other than a couple of notable exceptions (I’m looking at you, Makenai Bokura wa, Ame no Furu Sekai de Neko to Odoru.), new unit names have been much improved in 2022. Case in point:

THE DEVIL’S KILLING MERRY-GO-ROUND

Unveiled just this past weekend, the announcement of this new unit surprised us all with a couple of very familiar faces.

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Look out for KING SARI’s imminent debut!

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At Homicidols, we try not to post about a unit before they release anything. After all, how many groups have looked extremely promising and yet disbanded with nary even a CD-R in sight? But this upcoming group has so much backing we had to mention it.

Created as the official rival group to Anthurium, King Sari, despite what its name suggests has nothing to do with ex-Necronomidol members nor a very talented soloist currently active. However, while they had their member preview which did include a (now former) Anthurium member, our excitement lies especially in the presence of this young lady:

https://twitter.com/kingsari_0430/status/1517458288518254593?s=20&t=yVfI5LJ4h0TtTCtBlyyJlg

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New and New to Us: Units to Notice #03

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Welcome to volume three of what has become an almost monthly capsule of idol units that have recently lit up our radar to the point that we feel compelled to write stuff down about them and post it on the Internet. Some of these units are brand new. Some have been around for months but just recently started to demand our attention. One has been around for years and we honestly have no idea how they escaped our notice until now.

Here’s who we think you might like to know about:  Continue reading →

New and New to US: Emerging Idol Units, Report #02

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Welcome to the second edition of our report on units that have recently caught our attention for the first time. From seemingly well-financed projects backed by veteran agencies to truly independent units fueled by little more than dreams, here are some truly promising new groups that we think are worth adding to your watch list.

On the treat Super Season

Debuting early last August, On the treat Super Season is a six-member unit produced by Ary, formerly of uijin. Members include Ebihara Ten, formerly known as Sheishei Shiei of LAST IN MY CULT.

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Let’s Discover Some Idols: Tokyo Psychopath

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The worst and most lazy Western takes on Japanese idol typically involve the broad assertion that idols in Japan are almost universally young, well-behaved, virginal and entirely controlled by exploitative talent agencies. As we know, anything more than a superficial investigation into the genre will demonstrate that this is a cavalier and reductionist presumption. The sheer number and diversity of idol units across Japan guarantees that any gross generalization an outside observer can make will be directly contradicted by dozens of exceptions. Major label and independent idol units eschewing the image of youth, affable conformity and chastity are not a rare or recent phenomenon in the least. A few examples:  Bed-In has been celebrating sexual liberation and raunchy excess since 2012; Cent Chihiro Chittiii of BiSH has been promising fans that she won’t date more than two guys at once since 2015, the same year Non of DEEP GIRL started the normalization of idols with facial piercings; Negicco, Dempagumi.Inc and 1009-thank you- all have active members who are married and/or mothers; and the rebelliousness and chaotic energy of punk and metal have been embraced by 100s of idol units for over a decade now.

Still, there are a few lines that, until very recently, idol has been very tentative about crossing. Enter Tokyo Psychopath, who introduced their smoking, drinking, tattooed selves to the world last August, and seem intent on crossing them all.

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