An Introduction to AromaFancy | Super Cute Underground Male Idol Group

AromaFancy are a now 7-member underground male idol group that debuted as 6 members in May 2022. The group's concept is 'aromas', with many of their songs referencing the tastes and scents of various foods and drinks. The group as a very fun and cute style and calls are a big part of their performances.

 

Though they don't have any music videos (hopefully, as of yet), you can find videos of them performing their songs live on YouTube. They also occasionally livestream their performances on TikTok and their songs are available to purchase or stream online (all links below).   

 

Members

 

 

Chiba Ibuki

 

@Chiba_Ibuki

Member Color: Red 

• He's the only remaining founding member of the group. 
• He's a former member of the group Shounen Jackal and he also briefly made YouTube content.
• This man was literally born to be an idol. If you saw my first post mentioning AromaFancy, you'd probably have noticed that I said Yuri was my oshi but while I do still love Yuri (and all the members!)  Ibuki ended up stealing my heart. He's very professional and dedicated, he has the perfect balance between being cool and cute, and he's just very funny, sweet, and good at talking to people. Seriously, if you want to meet an idol for the first time but you're worried about it being awkward then I would definitely recommend Ibuki; he'll absolutely find something to talk about and put you at ease.

 

Matsumoto Kazuma

@KaZuMaWORLDWIDE

Member Color: Green

• Arguably the most talented singer in the group.
• Surprising he's very into hip-hop.
• Probably the most polite and reserved member.

 

Shinjo Riku

 

@risky_02s

Member Color: Light Blue

• He's very sweet and friendly to his fans. He'll always make the effort to find anyone in the audience who's holding a light blue penlight and smile and make eye contact with them.
• He's usually in charge of the audience participation segment in the song "Bergamot" (my personal favourite and their most fun song in my opinion!).
• He can play the piano.

 

Hoshino Yuri

@yuri_hoshino52

Member Color: Pink

• Interestingly he and Kein joined around the same time and also share the same birthday.
• Is new to being an idol but has previous experience as an actor. 
• It's become a thing that during the line in the song "Bergamot" that says the word "naite iru" (crying), he'll pull a weird face, often making Ibuki laugh. He's generally just very silly and cute.
  

 

 

Ito Kein 

 

@aroma_kein

Member Color: Orange

• Always very cute and energetic on stage. You really can't help but smile when watching him. 
• A bit of a 'charai' (flashy), gyaru-type personality. 
•  Flirts with the other members a lot.

 

Yamamoto Sunao

@aroma_sunao

Member Color: White

• He previously assisted as a trainee member, usually performing in place of former member Miura Hiichi when the latter couldn't appear due to school commitments. However following the graduation of Hiichi and other former member Yanase Haku he was promoted to full member status in January 2024. 
• A massive crybaby. He cried at both the group's anniversary live and former member Shibuya Asuka's graduation live. 
• He's really bad at 2step.

 

Hase Daiki

@aroma_daiki

Member Color: Dark Blue

• His self-professed speciality is being handsome.
• A fan of Hauls, the fashion brand created by Yumekui NEON member Hauki. 
• Prior to joining the group he'd never been to Disney Sea. He finally went for the first time with fellow member Ibuki. 

 

Fujishiro Kyo

@aroma_kyo

Member Color: Yellow

• He's a former member of the now disbanded idol duo LovelyBUDDY. Though he joined Aroma most recently, this technically makes him a senpai to most of the members.
• His debut was announced at the group's anniversary live in May 2024. He officially joined the group in June, following the graduation of Shibuya Asuka.
• He's a Johnny's Entertainment otaku.
  

 

AromaFancy are my second favourite group after ED∞EN, and its kind of amusing how different their vibes are. While I love ED∞EN's more subtle and cool aesthetic, I've always been a big fan of full-on 'idol-like' groups complete with costumes in their member colours and upbeat songs with lots of calls. ED∞EN don't really do calls in the typical way, so I always have so much fun shouting with all of my might at Aroma lives, haha. For a while I couldn't decide on my favourite member (I went from Yuri to Riku to Ibuki) because I just loved the group as a whole and thought all of the members were super cute.

 

 

What do you think of AromaFancy? Which member has caught your interest? Let me know in the comments!

Links:

• Website
• Twitter
• YouTube 
• TikTok
  
• TuneCore (streaming links)
• Schedule

 

 

 

More on my YouTube channel:

Dance class and then a male idol event on Cat Day in Japan vlog

Going to see AromaFancy, ED∞EN and more at a free male idol event vlog

 

 

Idol Rewind | My Top 5 Jpop Boy Group Releases of 2023

As per tradition (albeit a very infrequent tradtion), here are my top 5 Jpop boy group releases of the year for 2023! It's a little late, I've literally had this draft saved on my computer for months oop. Looks like the list is all...underground groups this time. Maybe the title of this post should be My Top 5 Underground Male Idol Releases of 2023. Who is Johnny's? Never heard of them.

1. ED∞EN - Forbidden Fruits

I bet no-one saw this coming. Since coming to Japan, ED∞EN quickly became my favourite group. The other original song they released last year, "Magic Parade" (which - fun fact - reached number 1 on the iTunes Jpop charts in the UK literally just because of me lol) is also a banger but I went with "Forbidden Fruits" because it just holds a special place in my heart. It was the first song they performed during my initial introduction to the group at JOL Harajuku and I absolutely fell in love. It was their very first song to receive a music video as well so I'm sure you can imagine how happy I was when it was seeing it unveiled at their first solo live back in October. That's a lot of firsts, haha.

2. AromaFancy - Bergamot

This song is also somewhere in the top 10 Jpop ranking on iTunes in the UK because I listen to it about 20 times a day, no kidding. It's such a fun and upbeat song and I fell in love with it the very first time I heard the group perform it. Even now the magic hasn't worn off and it's still the song I get the most excited for at their lives. Everyone around me - even if they have no idea who AromaFancy are - know this song simply because I cannot stop singing "Motto motto berugamotto~" on a daily basis, haha. 

3. 8motion - Kimi Dake no Tensai Influencer

This song is just so cute bruh. It's basically about each of the members wanting to become your oshi, urging you to show your support for them online and acting jealous if you support anyone else. When Kouhei says "Doushite hoka no ko wo mite iru no? Boku dake wo mitete yo!" (Why are you looking at other guys? Look only at me!) it's so silly but my heart melts every time. 

4. Love Sick - Danshi Koi

I think you've figured out by now that I like groups and songs with cute concepts. "Danshi Koi" is the debut song from new group Love Sick produced by RINDO Entertainment who are also responsible for various other popular groups such as Yumekui NEON and Beardored. The song is about the members wanting to enjoy soft and cute things despite being boys, so right up my alley then lol. I'll give you five seconds to guess who my oshi in this group is. 

3. Poltergeist - POPPING DOLL

Poltergeist are another new group from RINDO Entertainment, this time with a 'haunted doll' concept and "POPPING DOLL" is their debut song. This is really just your typical cutesy, 'TikTok-able' idol song but it's still very catchy and adorable in my opinion.

An Introduction to ED∞EN | Angel & Devil Concept Underground Male Idol Group

ED∞EN are a 5-member underground idol group that debuted on August 3rd 2023. The group's concept is angels and devils and thus they're split up into Team White (the angel team) and Team Black (the devil team). They perform both original songs true to their angel and devil theme as well as covers of songs from Johnny's groups. The members don't have individual image colours but you can use either a white or black penlight to support them (purple is also okay if you don't have a black penlight). 

 

Their first music video "Forbidden Fruits ~Kindan no Kajitsu~" was released on YouTube in October 2023 and the song is also available to buy or listen to on iTunes, Spotify etc. alongside their other original song "Magic Parade". Their third original song "Jinrui Saisho no Koi" was recently unveiled at the end of November alongside the announcement of another original song coming in December.

 

 

Members

 

Team White

 

Takada Kotaro

@EDEN_Kotaro

 Birthday: March 5th

•  Youngest member and the baby. He often seems slightly irritated when called cute.
• He was inspired to become an idol by the Johnny's group A.B.C-Z.
• Very friendly and sweet to his fans.

 

 

Kai Hiroki

@EDEN_hiroki_k

Birthday: May 20th

• The kind leader. He's honestly so sweet and caring and is always gushing about how much he loves the other members.
• Very cool stage presence but also a cutiepie off stage.
• Often the unfortunate victim of Sakatie's kiss attacks.

 

Shinomiya Nagi

Birthday: June 20th

 @EDEN_shinomiya

• The cutiepie of the group. Kotaro calls him Hime (Princess).
• He loves McDonald's fries far too much.
• I just love this boy a lot and could talk about how great he is for this entire post but he's always really sweet to me and patient with my awkwardness and always compliments my fashion.

Team Black

Sakai Kota (Sakatie)

Birthday: November 4th

@EDEN_sakatie_k

• Uses the stage name Sakatie because he loves milk tea. He's also a former member of the group Re:BRE FUNTOS.
• Very funny and has chaotic dad energy.
• Cannot keep his hands to himself; he's literally always touching or trying to kiss one of the other member.

 

 

Yuuki Minato 

Birthday: November 4th (the same date as Sakatie as well as the group's manager)

@EDEN_minato

• Does acrobatics.
• Very quiet and rarely speaks on stage but super adorable and a sweetie when you talk to him one-on-one.
• Really likes Pikmin.

 

I've been a fan of ED∞EN for almost two months now. Should I be embarrassed that I've taken over 50 photos with Nagi alone? They're so talented and all of the members are so lovable that I'm just super excited to see how they continue to gtow. If you're interested please do check out their music video on YouTube and give their songs a listen on Spotify. Do let me know what you think or feel free to ask if you have any questions about the group!

 

Links:

Twitter

YouTube

TuneCore (streaming links)

Schedule

 

 

 

 

Top 3 Underground Male Idol Groups I'm Watching Right Now | Studying Abroad in Japan

 

So...hi lol.

I'm not even going to say anything about my lack of updates at this point. 

I have some exciting news though. If you follow me elsewhere on social media you probably already know but I recently started living in Japan! I'll be studying here for a year as part of my university degree in Japanese Studies. 

So as I'm sure you can imagine, I'm very much back on my idol bullshit. Being really interested in Jfashion, I spend a lot of time (and money lol) in and around Harajuku. Towards the end of last month I decided to take a spontaneous trip to JOL, a venue on Takeshita Street that hosts free idol lives almost every day (it's the same venue I met Vipera at during my first trip to Japan in 2018). Since it's been like 5 years since I was last in Japan, many of the underground idol groups I used to like have since disbanded so I thought going to JOL would be a good way to get an idea of what kind of groups are about now. 

The first time I went, the groups performing that day were Mikazuki and Argonaut. I'd listened to a few of their songs online before the live but I was mostly going in blind. I honestly had so much fun and was reminded of why I'd always loved idols so much. It then became a habit for me to go to JOL whenever I wasn't busy with uni work or other things, on the look out for my next favourite group and oshi member.

After about 2 months living here in Tokyo, here are the 3 groups I've fallen for the most!

 

 

ED∞EN

 

ED∞EN are a 5-member group that debuted in August 2023. The theme of the group is angels and devils, thus the members are split up into two teams; Team White (Nagi, Kotaro, and Kai) and Team Black (Sakatie and Minato). I first saw ED∞EN at JOL back in September and even I'm surprised at how quickly they became my favourite group. I've met the members quite a few times and they're all so adorable and are always really sweet to me.

My oshi: Nagi

My favourite song: Forbidden Fruits ~Kindan no Kajitsu~

 

 

 

 

AromaFancy

 

  

AromaFancy are a now 8-member group that originally debuted as 6 members in 2022. If you love groups with a fun, cutesy concept then this is the group for you! I first saw them at a paid event in Shibuya and my heart literally melted. They have a lot of fun calls for the audience to participate in.

My oshi: Yuri (pink)

My favourite song: Bergamot

 

 

 

Protea*

 

Protea* (read as 'by Protea') are a 7-member group that debuted in August 2023. They have many really catchy songs and do a lot of funny bits in their lives such as introducing themselves with different themes (e.g. pretending to be kids on their first day at school). I discovered Protea* at the same event that I first saw AromaFancy at and have been to see them twice since. Their vibe - even when off-stage - is very energetic and friendly. The members often make fun of me at their fan-meetings for my awkwardness lol

My oshi: Motomu (green)

My favourite song: Feeling so free

If you'd like a more in-depth post about any of these groups let me know! More EDEN posts are definitely coming. Are you interested in any of these groups? Let me know what you think of them in the comments!

G=AGE Returns?! | A Look at A Few of the PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Season 2 Contestants

So a quick explanation first of all. I haven't really been feeling motivated to write this blog for the past few months. To be honest, my love of male idols had kind of dwindled so I was considering just letting this blog die. However, recently something quite exciting for me as an idol fan happened so I couldn't not write a post about it. What this means for the blog going forward, I have no idea but for now, let's get into looking into a few of the contestants for season 2 of PRODUCE 101 JAPAN!

So what is PRODUCE 101 JAPAN? PRODUCE 101 JAPAN is a reality TV show in which 101 boys compete for the chance to be part of an idol group. Fans can vote for their favourite boys, with the boys who are unable to get the votes eventually leaving the show. At the end of the show, the 11 remaining boys go on to officially debut as an idol group. 

The first season of the show aired in late 2019 and as a result the group JO1 was formed. It is unclear when the second season will air - probably due to COVID-related complications - but all the contestants were recently announced; each with their own introduction videos to help viewers get a feel for their personalities and skills.

I'm still deciding on which boy is my number 1 for this season, but two boys in particular will defintely be getting my support. I've told the story many times about my favourite now disbanded idol group G=AGE and how they basically saved my life so I won't get into it too much but feel free to take check out any of my previous blog posts about the group to get the details.

As I already mentioned, my interest in male idol groups had kind of dwinkled recently so I was aware that PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Season 2 was happening, but hadn't properly looked into it. I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram when I saw a picture of a familliar face posted on the PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Instragram account. I couldn't believe it at first as I am pretty bad at recognising faces but I looked into it and found that yes, it was Vasayegh Hikaru! My second favourite member of G=AGE (after Kazama Roi, who interestingly auditioned for the first season of PRODUCE 101 JAPAN but pulled out before the show started filming) and former Johnny's Jr.

 

I then went on to check the PRODUCE 101 JAPAN YouTube channel so I could watch Vasa's introduction videos. I was watching one of them when the first video in the related videos section caught my eye. I saw the name Tajima. It couldn't be, could it? I clicked the video and saw that it was in fact Tajima Shogo, also a former member of G=AGE and Johnny's Jr.! 

I don't even know what to say. I'm just so happy. Taji and Vasa have been active kind of on-and-off online since G=AGE disbanded but I really thought that their idol careers had come to an end. Apparently Taji had been active as a trainee in South Korea, and he even refers to PRODUCE 101 as his "last chance". Does this mean he plans to quit if he doesn't make it as one of the final 11? Let's make sure that doesn't happen by giving him lots of votes!

I would've been thrilled if it was just one of them but the fact that they probably decided to do this together really warms my heart. Taji and Vasa have known each other since they were Johnny's Jrs. and were also the first boys to join G=AGE back when it was first formed. They were also active as a subgroup called G-EYE and seemed to be pretty close. Though they're technically competing against each other I really hope the two of them can become successful together.

I also feel as if I should mention another familiar face who is taking part in this season of the show, though I personally won't be supporting him. Contestant Furue Yuto is a former member of G-BOY'S (G=AGE's trainee unit) and indie group TERCERA TRAPs. He is currently under fire for some things he said and did online before he was accepted onto the show. This isn't a gossip blog so I won't say anything about it here but if you want you can find out by Googling his name or looking at the comments on his introduction videos on YouTube. 

Ironic how in one of his intro videos where he's asked what kind of idol he wants to be, he answers he wants to be "an idol without scandals". Just oof to that one. Also, when he was in G-BOY'S, fans used to call him "niko niko tenshi" (smiling angel). Double oof.

I wonder if all of these ex-G=AGE/G-BOY'S members planned this or it was just a coincidence and they all turned up to the audition and looked at each other like, "Oh no, not these clowns again" lol.

Aside from Taji and Vasa, another boy who's caught my attention so far is Tekoe Yusei. He's obviously half-black which is pretty rare in the Jpop idol world and he's also funny and a huge dork.

 

 

Which PRODUCE 101 JAPAN Season 2 contestants do you like so far? Do you have high hopes for the upcoming season of the show? Let me know in the comments!

Regarding Nishioka Kengo and Sexual Assault in the Idol Industry

Recently I'd noticed that my blog posts about Nishioka Kengo - former member of MAG!C☆PRINCE and one of my all-time favourite idols - had been getting a lot more views than normal. I was aware that since leaving Magipri, Kengo (also known as Gonchi) was doing work as a solo idol so I mainly put it down to that. That was until another fan made me aware of some unsettling rumours about Kengo that had been doing the rounds. Thanks to a blog post by my friend and Magipri super-fan Rainbow Pudding (check out that post here) we now have the proof that it unfortunately wasn't just rumours and that Kengo has accused Osawa Tsuyoshi - the (now former) producer of MAG!C☆PRINCE - of sexually assaulting him.

So where do I begin? I'm extremely angered and saddened that something like this has happened, especially to an idol I love so much and has helped me through so many hard times. As always the media aren't really talking about it, as was the case when similar things happened within Johnny's Entertainment and (allegedly) G=AGE's agency. At the very least I'm glad that Osawa has been removed from his position as Magipri's producer and I seriously hope that he'll be brought to justice. Sexual assault from higher-ups seems to be a disturbingly common occurrence in the idol industry and I want to know why this is being allowed to go on with no-one really discussing it. 

On a slightly positive note, I'm so proud of Kengo for everything he's doing despite the trauma he's experienced. He's working so hard at being a freelance idol, doing everything himself including designing his own merchandise and learning how to make his own website from scratch. I've also noticed him interacting online a lot with Yamazaki Haruki (former M!LK member) which I think is really sweet because they're both two of my absolute favourite idols and I feel like they would have a lot in common. They're both very cute, 'otomen' types and Haruki also left his group due to experiencing trauma, but in Haruki's case it was more to do with his own mental health.

This blog post was a little messy and I'm not really sure what the point of it was, maybe just to get my own feelings out there. But really this is about Kengo and any other idols who may have been taken advantage of in this way that we may not know about. All we can really do as fans is make as much noise about it as possible so that the powers that be have no choice but to actually do something about it. Kengo has nothing but my love and support with this and any of his future, hopefully less traumatic endeavours and I hope that the situation will be resolved in the best way possible for him.

3 Lessons A Beloved Ex-Idol Taught Me

Today is the 4 year anniversary of the release of the single, "Age of Future" by G=AGE so I thought now would be as good a time as any to write this post. For anyone who's known me for a while you'd know that G=AGE (before they disbanded) were my all-time favourite Jpop boy group, and in particular I was a big fan of the member Kazama Roi.

Just a note, I have been in contact with Roi recently and he told me that though he still works as a model he wants to move on from his past as an idol and would rather his new friends didn't know about it. For this reason, I will refer to him as Roi (the stage name he used in G=AGE) in this blog post rather than his real name. Although, I do believe he still models under his real name so it's not a secret in case anyone wants to try and find his stuff. But anyway with that, let's get sappy. 

1. It's okay to have a laugh and be silly.

Roi has always been very silly and playful and frankly quite chaotic. He's loud and has a bit of a weird sense of humour. Though he appeared to tone this down slightly when he was an idol (he was often described by fans as very quiet and polite) he was known for joking around and occasionally making silly faces at the camera. Roi came into my life at a time when I couldn't see much humour in anything. I was depressed, anxious, and felt hopeless about the future but seeing or hearing about his silly antics would always cause me to at least crack a smile. Now I'm probably a little bit too silly for my own good a lot of the time!

2. When you love someone, you have to let them go. 

When G=AGE disbanded, for a long time Roi was the only member to disappear completely. He seemed to be absent from the entertainment industry and he didn't have any public social media accounts. Even after he eventually made a public Twitter account, there would be long periods of time where he would just drop off the radar again, probably because he was unsure about whether he really wanted to continue his career as an idol or not. Though my mental health was a lot better by this point I missed him terribly. I just wanted to see him again, even just one of his derpy selfies would do. Eventually though, I had to come to accept that Roi didn't want to be in the public eye anymore and that was okay. That was his decision to make and just because I had been his fan for such a long time didn't mean that I was entitled to him or he owed me anything. 

3. An idol can be your soulmate? Huh?

I know how weird that sounds but hear me out, haha. If you're new to the spiritual concept of soulmates, allow me to explain. A soulmate doesn't necessarily have to be a romantic partner (after all I'm in a happy relationship and Roi is quite a bit younger than me, haha); it can also be a friend, a family member, or just anyone that comes into your life for a significant reason even if it's only for a short time. If you believe in past lives, it's thought that soulmates are people who were with us in previous incarnations. The first time I saw Roi, I had a massive sense of recognition, like I'd met him somewhere before and I still feel this to this day. Even if I never see Roi again for as long as I live, I know that he came into my life for an important reason and that was to help me grow and teach me these lessons. He did so much for me whether he realizes or not so now the least I can do for him in return is to keep doing my best to improve and achieve everything I want to achieve. He's inspired me to try my best with my music, dance, Japanese, and just my well-being in general.

With that, I will end this blog post with a thank you to Roi-Roi, Roi-pyon, Little Prince, or whatever other bizarre nicknames I came up with for him.

風間ロイくんに、私の心の中から、本当に本当にありがとうございました！

An Introduction to JO1 | Group of the Month March 2020

Hey there, idol fans! This month's featured group as suggested by someone on Twitter (thanks, I was having a bit of a brain lapse, haha) is a group that's only just making their debut this month but are already causing a bit of a stir; it's JO1! If there are any groups you'd like to see featured in future months don't hesitate to let me know but as for right now, let's get started!

JO1 are an 11-member Jpop boy group that made their debut in March 2020. The group was formed thanks to the members all being the final contestants on PRODUCE JAPAN 101, a reality competition show that aired in 2019. Due to the show being a spin-off of the South Korean television series PRODUCE 101 X, the group is also quite well-known among Kpop fans.

The performance video of "La Pa Pa Pam", one of the bonus tracks from their debut single "PROTOSTAR".

Members

Mamehara Issei

Date of Birth: 2002.05.30

Place of Birth: Okayama Prefecture

• He placed 1st overall in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN.
• He loves GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE.
• His hobby is dancing, especially to 90s hip-hop.

Tsurubo Shion

Date of Birth: 2000.12.11

Place of Birth: Shiga Prefecture

• He placed 5th in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN, and interestingly he also broke the "Produce 101 Curse". Based on all previous seasons of the show, it's been said that anyone who sits in the number 1 seat will not debut yet he has been the first to do so.
• He was formerly a trainee under FNC Entertainment and can speak basic Korean.
• He and Ruki both participated in the JUNON SUPERBOY contest in 2015. 

Kinjo Sukai

Date of Birth: 2000.05.06

Place of Birth: Osaka Prefecture

• He placed 10th in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN.
• His special skills are karate and soccer. He also enjoys movies and music.
• He said if he got into the top 11 on PRODUCE 101 JAPAN that he’d fly anywhere for the National Producers because he is the ‘sky’. This is a pun, as his name 'Sukai' sounds like the English word 'sky'.

Ohira Shosei

Date of Birth: 2000.04.13

Place of Birth: Kyoto

• He placed 4th in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN.
• He graduated from the EXPG dance school in Kyoto.
• His hobbies include watching movies, walking, editing videos, and beat making. He's also good at hand tricks. 

Upcoming Jpop Boy Group Releases for March 2020

Hey there, idol fans! Here are all of the upcoming music releases by Jpop boy groups for the month of February 2020. Enjoy!

BREAK☆THROUGH"5D - Wild Side

Release: 2020.03.02

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

BANQUET - Rush Around

Release: 2020.03.04

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

Contact+ - Eye Contact

Release: 2020.03.04

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

CUBERS - WOW

Release: 2020.03.04

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

JO1 - Protostar

Release: 2020.03.04

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

MATSURI nine. - Teppen New Days

Release: 2020.03.04

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

The Three Times I Fell For Him | A Short Story About Meeting Your Idol Part 1

So...this is happening, haha. 

While I do also love writing this blog and nonfiction, writing fiction has always been my main passion. As a special Valentine's Day gift to all of you here is a silly little short story I've been working on. I had intended to have the whole thing finished by Valentine's Day but it ended up being way longer than I expected so here is just the first part. The second part should hopefully be out sometime next week. 

It's obviously a little different than the kind of thing I usually post here but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless and Happy Valentine's Day!

The Three Times I Fell For Him, Part 1

Alwyn Foster was perfect for Demi. They had so much in common. For starters, they were both huge nerds who loved video games and comic books. She loved to listen to his insight and mad conspiracy theories about the latest volume of whatever it was they were both reading at the time.

They had the same taste in music. It was difficult for Demi to find others who shared this particular passion, as while she did enjoy cheesy pop songs where the boys who sang them added 'girl' onto the end of every sentence she also had a taste for really obscure micro-genres like emo-pop-screamo-rap-metal. She would always look into the artists that Alwyn recommended and more often than not, end up loving them.

She and Alwyn shared the same sense of humor. It was lazy, cynical, and sarcastic and she often found herself giggling uncontrollably at the dry yet quick-witted comments he made.

Demi and Alwyn had even grown up in the same town. She still remembered the first time she'd met him, in a fast food restaurant of all places. Actually, the place didn't deserve to be called a restaurant, not really. It was a dingy little take-out place that housed only about two or three tables (that were in desperate need of a clean) and the place itself was only one health and safety check away from being shut down. Demi had been working there part-time mainly because her parents wanted her out the house and doing something they deemed useful.

Demi had been the only one working that day. She'd probably been cursing her no-good boss Mr. What's-His-Name for not bothering to show up when she clearly wasn't qualified to be running the shop by herself when Alwyn had stalked through the door. He was handsome, she'd noted but then so were a lot of guys. His lazy green eyes were barely open as he ordered a burger meal to go before slinking over to one of the tables. He made a face at the mess before taking a seat but Demi was too underpaid to care.

She slapped the meal together in a matter of minutes and placed it inside a brown bag on the counter. She called to him a few times but he didn't seem to hear her. He was facing the window with his head resting on one of his hands. She wondered if he'd fallen asleep. She came out from behind the counter and grabbed the take-out bag, intending to bring it to him but somewhere along the way she'd lost her footing and ended up on the floor. The sound of her body smacking against the cold, hard ground had been enough to pull the boy out of his daze and with a cheeky grin he'd turned to her and said,

"We only just met and you're already falling for me."

Demi's cheeks had been burning as he'd helped her to her feet but she couldn't help but laugh at the terrible pun. She was grateful that none of the food had spilled out of the bag at least. He took the bag from her, nodded his thanks, then left without another word. As she watched him go it was only then she'd realized he'd either forgotten to or deliberately decided not to pay but she just shrugged and return to her post behind the counter, deciding it wasn't her problem.

An Introduction to AXXX1S | Group of the Month February 2020

Hey there, idol fans! I'm back with our first featured group of 2020. Let's get started!

AXXX1S (pronounced 'axis') are a now 6-member male idol group that made their debut in 2015 under the name AMAZ (pronounced 'amaze'). In 2019 they underwent a major line-up change and thus changed their name to AXXX1S; Yuuto is the only of the original members left. Their first release as AXXX1S was the album "We Are AXXX1S".

Dance video for "Bakuretsu Hangover", the group's second single.

Members

 Matsushita Rikuto

Member Colour: Green

Date of Birth: 2001.08.12

• His special skill is playing mobile games.
• He took part in Danshi Kousei Mr. Con 2018, a kind of competition for high school-aged boys.
• His hobby is binge-watching dramas on his days off.

 Murahashi Takumi

Member Colour: Red

Date of Birth: 1998.07.21

• He's a former member of G-BOY'S, the trainee unit of G=AGE.
• He's a regular model for the fashion magazine Popteen.
• His hobbies include VOCALOID and utattemita.

 Okada Yuuki

Member Colour: Blue

Date of Birth: 1997.04.07

• His hobby is watching YouTube videos.
• His special skill is baseball.
• Has appeared in the series "Triangle kara Hajimaru Koi".

Upcoming Jpop Boy Group Releases for February 2020

Here are all of the upcoming music releases by Jpop boy groups for the month of February 2020. To have all of the latest releases and news sent straight to your inbox once a month be sure to subscribe to the Dansei Idol Girl e-mail newsletter!

ael - Hakugen 

 

Release: 2020.02.05

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan
 

Am!station - Cho Zetsu Am!'s San

 

Release: 2020.02.05

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

AMEZARI -RED STARS- with BATTLE BOYS OSAKA - Impulse to the higher / Zubatto! Onomatope!

Release: 2020.02.12

Type: Single

Buy on CDJapan

Idol Rewind | My Top 5 Jpop Boy Group Releases of 2019

So yeah, I did this for 2018 so I thought it would be fun to do it for 2019 as well. Admittedly I was a bit AWOL for the latter half of 2019... I had my debut idol performance in August and around that time I moved into my own place as well. Plus the fact that September would mark the beginning of my first year of no longer being a college student so having to start properly looking into finding work and figuring out what I actually want to do has been...interesting to say the least but anyway, even if I wasn't posting I was always there, always lurking. Certain idols I like to stalk online can probably attest to this. So anyway, without further ado, here is my slightly biased top 5 list of Jpop boy group releases from 2019!

1. SUPER★DRAGON - 2nd Emotion

SUPER★DRAGON takes the first spot on this list for the second year in a row! I stand by everything I've said about them in the past; they're just a group that knows no boundaries and is always surprising us with the interesting concepts they come out with and this year they of course didn't disappoint. "2nd Emotion" was their second album and not only did we get two tracks with music videos from it but also a dance version of the main track, not to mention the abundance of extras you got if you bought the disk. There wasn't a single song on this album that I didn't like and it's just good, man. So good.

2. BUZZ-ER. - #BFF

A group of new faces takes the second place spot, and this is also a group that has managed to creep their way into my top 5 male idol groups list this year too. Welcome BUZZ-ER.! BUZZ-ER. actually released 2 albums and a single this year but I chose this particular album because it contains all of the songs from all their other releases as well. Most of BUZZ-ER.'s releases this year have had such a fun dasa-kakkoi (goofy-cool) vibe to them that I absolutely love and all the songs have been so catchy I've been looping them on Spotify for months.