Here are all of the upcoming music releases by Jpop boy groups
for the month of August 2018. To have all of the latest releases and news
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Hey there, idol fans! I'm back with some more song recommendations. Check out my top 5 songs by this month's featured group, M!LK!
1. miruku!
A true throwback song, "miruku!" was one of the first songs that M!LK performed together as a group before their CD debut. It lacked a proper studio release up until late 2017 when it was included as a bonus track on a special edition of the group's debut album, "Osama no Gyuunyuu". This song is super upbeat and catchy, the choreography is adorable, and it's one of the few songs that they perform at almost every concert so it accurately documents how far the group has moved forward since they first performed it at Hoshio Matsuri 2014 (Just compare Mizuki's solo lines from that performance to the most recent one from Haruki's graduation live!).
2. Coffee ga Nomemasen
"Coffee ga Nomemasen" was the title track of M!LK's debut single and was also used as the ending song for the anime "Pankisu!". I personally feel that the group still have yet to release a single that tops this one! This song is so fun and innocent and truly shows what M!LK as a group is all about.
3. Shingakki A La Carte
"Shingakki A La Carte" was actually the first song by M!LK I ever came across and it also seems to be the single that was responsible for a lot of their success in the last few years. The song and music video are both absolutely adorable and it has such a fun wotagei routine that I can't help but get excited whenever I hear it start up during concerts.
It is with a very heavy heart that I write this post as we recently recieved the heart-breaking news that lead singer and centre of EBiDAN group M!LK, Yamazaki Haruki has graduated from the group and will leave EBiDAN altogether at the end of this month. This news came as quite a shock for me considering Haruki was one of my all-time favourite idols, not to mention the fact that I'll be going to Japan for the first time next month so I was extremely disappointed that my favourite member of my favourite group would be leaving before I even got the chance to see them all in person.
I was so moved by Haruki's leaving that I even sent him a fan-letter in the mail expressing my discontentment for his departure but wishing him the best nonetheless. I've never sent a fan-letter before as I'm usually worried about the recipient being unable to understand my not-so-great Japanese but this time I felt I had to since it may be my last chance to tell Haruki how I feel.
Last month we also found out that MAGiC BOYZ will be disbanding (Is 2018 the year of EBiDAN groups breaking apart or something?!) and while Touma, Ryuto, and Joe will remain in EBiDAN, Mahiro will be leaving the agency and the entertainment industry as a whole.
Haruki, however, I couldn't imagine completely leaving the entertainment world behind. He has too much talent and determination for it all to go to waste so I'll be anxiously awaiting his return and will definitely support him with whatever he decides to do here on out. He has cited one of the reasons for him leaving as "wanting to start working towards his new dream" but we'll have to wait and see what that new dream is. Personally I could see him starting on a solo career, possibly as an actor or a model.
But anyway, with all of the sad stuff out of the way, (Well, not quite. You might want to grab your tissues for this post) let's get to celebrating all of the things we love about our adorable little matcha milk idol, Harukinman!
1. He's cute
Duh! If you've been reading this blog for a while you'd probably know that cute idol boys are my weakness and Haruki is the very definition of 'cute idol boy'. He looks cute, his voice is cute, and his personality is cute (I'm probably going to be using the word 'cute' a lot here)! He has an unusal fashion sense and isn't afraid to wear unique and super adorable outfits. His love of cute characters such as the Sanrio character Cinnamon and Kanato from Diabolik Lovers is just so -- you guessed it -- cute! He can go a little overboard with the 'forced' cuteness sometimes -- like when he speaks in the third person or edits his photos to make his eyes look scarily big -- but personally I don't mind this and it kind of makes me love him even more.
Hey there, idol fans! Welcome to our second edition of Group of the Month. This month's group is another one of my personal favourites; M!LK. If you missed it, check out last month's group -- MAG!C☆PRINCE -- here. If you have any suggestions for groups you'd like to be featured in following months don't hesitate to leave a comment below. When a new Group of the Month is announced it will be sent out as part of my monthly e-mail newsletter which will also include all of the latest news in the world of Jpop boy groups, a list of the upcoming releases for the month, and plenty more exciting updates so be sure to sign up. Anyway, let's get started!
M!LK is a 5-member (unfortunately soon to be 4-member) Jpop group that is part of EBiDAN; (Ebisu Gakuen Danji-bu, or Ebisu Academy Boys Club) a division of the agency Stardust Promotion that is responsible for producing male idol groups. They are currently part of EBiDAN Next High (a selection of EBiDAN's younger groups who have the potential to eventually become like the bigger and more experienced groups such as Choutokkyuu and DISH//).
M!LK made their debut in 2015 with the single "Coffee ga Nomemasen" and the title track was used as the ending theme for the anime "Pankisu!". Though prior to this all of the members were active as part of a temporary EBiDAN 39&KiDS unit called Clash,. M!LK fans are called "Milkies".
The music video for the title track of their most recent single, "Bokura Nari Revolution"
Members:
Sano Hayato
Date of Birth: March 23rd 1998
Hometown: Aichi
Member Colour etc.: Pink/Strawberry Milk, should be in charge of being cool but is actually a joker
Extras:
The leader and oldest member but is actually just a huge dork.
Known for making funny faces at the camera.
The only member from EBiDAN OSAKA. He was actually added to the group later on to replace former member Yuuto who left EBiDAN back when they were still Clash,.
Yoshida Jinto
Date of Birth: December 15th 1999
Hometown: Kagoshima
Member Colour etc.: Yellow/Lemon Milk, in charge of tinkering
Extras:
His catchphrase is "Chesuto!" which means to do something without regrets in Kagoshima dialect.
He has a very unique dance style.
He's called "kime-gao Jinto" -- meaning something like "sexy/sultry-faced Jinto" -- because of the facial expressions he pulls while dancing.
Yamazaki Haruki
Date of Birth: February 15th 2000
Hometown: Osaka
Member Colour etc.: Green/Matcha Milk, in charge of cuteness
Extras:
He's the main singer and centre of the group. Known for his high voice.
He loves cute clothes and has an unusual fashion sense.
He loves Sanrio characters, particularly Cinnamon.
NOTE: Unfortunately Haruki will be graduating from the group and EBiDAN as of July 31st 2018.