Featured Image: LOST IN LOVE.
The annual Tokyo Idol Festival is happening right now and, for the first time in four years, we have not dubbed it FXXK TIF Weekend. The reason behind the softening of the Homicidols heart is that the event organizers finally, explicitly, opened up ticket sales to overseas fans. I still haven’t come around completely and put “Attending TIF” back on my bucket list for two main reasons:
- The organizers spent four years deliberately excluding ticket purchases by non-Japanese residents (even blocking the overseas viewing of livestreams until last year), so it may take a bit more time to feel like it’s a truly welcoming event.
- The date of the festival has slipped all of the way to early August, the hottest and most humid time of the year in Japan.
As a lifelong desert rat acclimated to dry heat, even if I did finally knock the chip off of my shoulder, I’m pretty sure I would die from the humidity after ascending to the Sky Stage. Still, I guess it wouldn’t be a bad way to go.
While I continue to work on burying my TIF resentment, here’s what else is going on:
pinponpanpon is in Toronto today.
Broken By the Scream is hitting Paris and London.
yubiningyou is in London as well.
THEΔRAREz is at Otakon this weekend, in New York later this week, and will be in LA next weekend along with JIEMEI.
YURAPICO just announced that she will be heading back to New York in September.
2026 rookie unit LOST IN LOVE debuted back around Valentines Day with the theme, “This love is vicious.” Their new MV is raw, loud, and peak chika idol.
On a lighter note, here’s a live double-shot of the more upbeat tunes in the RAY catalog.
We haven’t received an MV from ERISU in some time, but the Goddess has now spoken and it was worth the wait.
YA’ABURNEE released this sedate single with an understated album cover.
Re:Yu just released this new EP at midnight, so it’s hot an fresh and what you should be listening to right now.
Instead of a cartoon, this Saturday morning started with a new Phantom Siita MV.
THE PINK MINDS droped a pink MV.
Schrödinger’s Dog share some dance practice to promote their upcoming EP which comes out in two weeks.
Here’s a bright new single from MIC RAW RUGA.
AVAM go yami kawaii ten years past the trend.
Summer is almost over, so let’s go back to school with hakanai.
SWANTICK practice their future appearance on The One Take.
Thanks to BobIsRandom over on the Homicidols Discord server for bringing our attention to Kimi Dake no Hanakotoba from Fukuoka. Their theme is “beautiful, fleeting__” as personified by their new MV.
Oshiloss Corner
PIGGS announced that they will be disbanding following their one man at the Tokyo Kinema Club on October 12th. KINCHAN will be leaving Pour Pour Land following the break up.
The members discussed what led up to the decision to disband in a rather candid interview with OTOTOY.
The third generation of CIRCLE CRUSHER just held their last live.
CHECKxMATE will be ending their current lineup as a foursome following their one-man on August 29th, but that won’t stop them from performing as a five-member unit including former member Rushia Sumeragi on September 25th.
Question.IV will be ended their current system on September 15th.
Oshifound Corner
Kai Marino (ex. RAY, Suisou to Clematis, and Niji no Conquistador) just released her first solo album at midnight.
The supporting actor in the latest Temma Matsunaga (URBANGARDE) MV was Mani Mamiya (ex. Yanakoto Sotto Mute).
