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We did it!! We collectively survived 2025 and came out the other side. Happy New Year! Compared to last year at this time when I couldn’t walk and was in constant and excruciating pain, 2026 is already a huge improvement. To celebrate this wonderful new start, I will be heading off to Japan on Monday for three weeks of idols, idols, a couple of bands, and more idols.
If you were still hungover from New Years Eve celebrations and missed it, Your Homicidols Best of 2025 results dropped yesterday. The Team will be wrapping up their Best Of picks later in the week and then we shall be done with 2025 forever!
I need to get back to packing, but first, let’s check out how the idol world kicked off the new year:
Isiliel gave us a sneak peak into her plans for 2026 including a world tour.
https://twitter.com/Isiliel_jp/status/2006727145360601307
With Pour Lui out of the picture, PIGGS celebrated 2026 with a new logo, a new look, and a new single and MV.
Quubi dropped a couple live MVs to remind that they are a serious contender in multiple categories for Best of the Year awards, and that being largely excluded from consideration in 2025 was a crime.
LØISLOID dropped this present on Christmas but we just got around to unwrapping it now.
The members of idol unit LiVS are pretty adamant that they are not idols.
We had a ton of new music dropping on New Years Day from the likes of:
MAD JAMIE, who had to push back her January album release but is leaking new tracks from it in consolation.
pinponpanpon who are also shooting for Best Promo Art award for 2026 with this masterpiece album cover must have taken ten whole minutes to create.
9DayzGlitchClub absolutely kill it with their latest electropunk single.
Does anyone else remember about ten years ago when You’ll Melt More! turned into a band for about six months? It seems to have happened again.
Phantom Siita got The First Take treatment.
Homicidols isn’t the only entity holding annual idol awards. In the far more prestigious Idol Song Awards, Title Mitei scored the top song award and several other honors. They also just landed the closing them song for the latest season of Wakakozake.
Kaigai Idol Corner
As demonstrated by the depth of 2025’s Best Overseas Idol nominees, the strength and talent of kaigai idols is closing in on the caliber of the Japanese units that inspire them. here’s a couple of prime examples to kick off 2026:
South Korea’s NEKIRU are simply world class.
Taiwan’s metal idol unit, NO FACE NO REaLiTY rings in the new year with a dark and dramatic tale.
Fellow Taiwanese, multi-genre unit THEΔRAREz strike a more pensive and bittersweet note in their first offering of the year.
Best Overseas Idol winner nextanative isn’t the only talented idol unit from Indonesia. Over on the Homicidols Discord server, Fredo introduced us to thier fellow Indonesian unit, Kohi Sekai.
Aqubi Rec released a collaboration single between their units (BELLRING Girls Heart, Finger Runs, and FOKALITE) and the extraordinary Chinese alt-idol unit, Transparent Classroom and Parallel Girl (aka 透明教室与平行女孩; do yourself a favor and carve out an afternoon for a deep dive into their BilliBilli channel).
It’s called “Akubi fechi.” (translation: “Yawn fetish.”)
Oshiloss Corner
Konton Shoujyo has officially disbanded. Their producer says he would like to try creating another idol unit so we shall see what the future holds.
Occasional Weekender contributors AMEFURASSHI and ukka will be disbanding in 2026.
Sara is leaving nicora ray ark.
Oshifound Corner
Brazil (ex. MIGMA SHELTER) made an appearance in the MV for the first single off of Temma Matsunaga’s (URBANGARDE) new solo album.
Rin (UTERO, ex. yumegiwa last girl) and Manaco Komori (killmiky) have teamed up for a new project called gl1tch.bby. They just dropped their first single and MV.
FRUITPOCHETTE reunited for one night to help close out the year.
https://twitter.com/fruitpochette2/status/2005271160511197557
