An Introduction to MAG!C☆PRINCE | Group of the Month June 2018

Hey there, idol fans! As of today a new "segment" will be added to this blog. This is an idea I've been toying with for a while so do let me know what you think of it. This new segment will be called Group of the Month and well, the name is pretty self-explanatory.

There are a lot -- and I mean a lot -- of Jpop boy groups out there and I've barely grazed the surface on this blog so far, so I thought this new segment would be a fun way to regularly introduce you to some new groups that you may not have heard of.

So here's how it will work: On the first Friday of every month I will have chosen a group and I will publish a brief post to introduce you to this group. The chosen group will also do a little "takeover" of the blog and my social media sites. Every time a new Group of the Month post is uploaded it will be sent out as part of the monthly e-mail newsletter so if you want those alerts don't forget to sign up!

If there are any groups you'd really like to see me cover -- either so you can learn more about them yourself or so you can make more potential fans aware of them -- feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments. This series will definitely be a lot more fun if it isn't just about groups that I'm personally a big fan of already!


Anyway, let's get started with this month's group! For our first ever edition of Group of the Month, I've chosen one of my personal favourite groups; MAG!C☆PRINCE.

MAG!C☆PRINCE (also called Magipri or Majipuri for short) is a 5-member male idol group from Watanabe Entertainment. All of the members were born and raised in the Tokai Region of Japan and were chosen via an audition. They made their debut in December 2015 with the single "Zettai☆Aishiteru". Magipri's fans are referred to as "CHEERS". They have two "younger brother" groups called Nine Stars (debuted January 2018) and Tokai School Boys (who are still in the audition stage).

The music video for "Zettai☆Aishiteru", MAG!C☆PRINCE's debut song

The meaning of MAG!C☆PRINCE's name is:
M – Mie
A – Aichi
G – Gifu
! – To give you energy
C – To cheer you on
☆ – Mie, Aichi, and Gifu boys aim to be stars
PRINCE – Handsome boys you’d want to be your son
   

Members:

Nishioka Kengo

Member Colour: Pink

Date of Birth: 22nd October 1997

Hometown: Aichi

Extras:

• He's a total idol fanboy; it was the reason he became an idol himself. He particularly likes Sato Shori from the group Sexy Zone.
•  He's often mistaken for a girl. Even during his audition for the group the staff weren't completely convinced he was male.
•  Kind of a tsundere. He can be a bit cold to the other members but cares about them all deep down. 

Abe Shuhei

Member Colour: Green

Date of Birth: 22nd October 1997

Hometown: Aichi

Extras:

• He shares a birthday with fellow member, Kengo. The two are also best friends.
• He decided to audition for Magipri when he saw the advertisement in a newspaper. His parents' love of the entertainment world was one of his main influences.
• The other members (especially Kengo) initially mistook him for a stuck-up rich kid since he always appeared calm and composed and spoke very politely, but he was eventually able to show his real self; a huge dork who likes to mess around with the other members and make everyone laugh. 

 

Nagata Kaoru

Member Colour: Blue

Date of Birth: 6th October 1996

Hometown: Gifu

Extras:

• He played soccer prior to joining the group and was actually scouted to become a professional soccer player but declined in favour of joining Magipri.
• He himself admits that he's "the member who can't really do anything" since he stopped playing soccer. He is one of the worst dancers in the group (although he's improved a lot since the group's debut), he tires easily, and he often gets teased by the other members for being bad at rapping.
• Has a handsome and cool kind of image but is actually really clumsy and clueless.

Oshiro Hikaru

Member Colour: Yellow

Date of Birth: 4th July 1995

Hometown: Aichi

Extras:

• He's the main rapper within the group.
• He loves bread and pastries. He once said he would always stop off at a nearby bakery on his way home from school and even enjoys baking bread himself. Also just loves food in general, haha.
• He has the most "idol-like" personality within the group. He's very cheerful and positive, wants to engage with his fans as much as possible, and is always looking for opportunities to sing, dance, rap, and act.

Hirano Taishin

Member Colour: Red

Date of Birth: 15th February 1995

Hometown: Aichi

Extras:

• The leader of the group. Initially he was chosen for this role simply because he was the oldest, but now it seems as if he would've been the best choice all along as he's like a kind yet level-headed older brother to the other members.
• He is very skilled in acrobatics as you'll see from him often doing backflips and the like in Magipri's videos. Prior to joining the group he was offered a place in Cirque du Soleil but turned it down in favour of joining Magipri.
• Slightly clumsy.

Check out the short version of the music video for the title track of MAG!C☆PRINCE's upcoming single "SUMMER LOVE" below (Released June 20th 2018)!

Official Links:

Website
Twitter

MAG!C☆PRINCE is definitely one of my favourite male idol groups. I just love their cute, colourful, and positive image. For me, they are the perfect example of a typical Japanese idol group and that's what I love. Also, it helps that Kengo is totally my type haha. But what do you think of Magipri? Let me know in the comments. And if you like Magipri half as much as I do you'd be crazy not to check out Rainbow Pudding for lots more information and updates. Check out this English subbed video of Magipri performing "Dreamland" she recently uploaded.

Sources:
Magipri's Official Website
Rainbow Pudding