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!