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Tuesday, 26 May 2020

There Is No Violence, Just Cheer in halca's 'Toki Toshite Violence' (Single Review)

*As per, all thoughts and opinions written here are my own. These reviews are subjective, and what I enjoy may not necessarily appeal to you. You do not have to agree with my, nor do you have to like what I like. Let's respect one another's views and interests, and have a jolly ol' time. Thank you.

**I would like to add that, as a human bean and not a robot or AI, I make mistakes. So, if you happen to trip over any mistakes riddled throughout this post, please call me out on it, and I'll clean that mess up. I am fairly sure I have successfully taken care of all the 'hacla's' in here, because halca is clearly a difficult name to spell. Anyway, thank you in advance!


After training for five years to become an anisong singer, halca made her major debut in 2018 with the single Kimi no Tonari, a single that contained the ending theme for the Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii anime. Now in 2020, halca has released her fifth single lead by the song Toki Toshite Violence, an upbeat, pop anime theme tune that currently acts as the opening for the second season of Dropkick on My Devil!.

Much like any artist or idol that has never been posted on this blog before, this single is my introduction to the world of halca's music, and ultimately sets the bar for what I expect from here on out. I've binged this release for a few days already, and after finally getting a good feel of the single, the impending question is this: how much do I enjoy halca's Toki Toshite Violence, and is it worth the listen?

Well, that's up to you to decide, but I will do my best to give you a few reasons for why you should (or shouldn't) listen to it. So, it's time to take a look at halca and her latest release, Toki Toshite Violence. Will it be violently chipper, or will it fall flat and disappoint? Let your judgement be cast and press that play button. It's time to listen to some music~

Listen with me on Spotify or Deezer.

Monday, 25 May 2020

Houkago Princess Transform into Desert Royalty for Maika's Graduation Single

In which 2020 delivers a new single from HouPri, and another Graduation to keep our tears fresh and falling...


Despite the recent pandemic that has the world in a frenzy, Houkago Princess have announced the release of their up-coming single, titled Shakunetsu no Mystery Eye / Zesse Cleopatra, a Double A-side that will focus on the Pharaoh Cleopatra, one of the most well known historical figures in the world.

The single is set for release on July 29th, 2020, and will be available in four editions. It has been described as a summer tune that will bring its listeners energy when they listen to it, and contains the message of remembering the fun you had during the summer in the past, and awaiting that feeling for the up-coming summer.

This will also serve as Maika's last single, as she will be graduating from Houkago Princess once all activities related to the release have ended. She will continue to work as a solo artist under the name Miyashita Maika.

Wednesday, 13 May 2020

Returning to The Fairies Who Melt Like Ice: Another Introduction to elfloat (Updated On September 3rd, 2020)

'An Introduction to' is my passion-project where I research and compile a profile of a group I am interested in, regardless of their tenure or music style. If I like it, they are probably going to be subject to my research methods at some point or another. Ultimately, my goal here is to create a heavily document post that includes the member profiles, a brief history of the group, and a little bit more if possible.

My reason for publishing these profiles is pretty simple: it gives other fans a window into what a group is about, and is easier for me to find down the line when I either need to look back at something, or for when I'm in need of updating my past research.

I also do this because, believe it or not, I actually find it fun.

With that said, today's group was actually one of the more frustrating that I have tackled, and it's all due to the lack of readily-available information, because all past blogs, old tweets and websites have since been deleted, and not all of it has been archived. Despite all of that, I persisted and did all I could, even if I feel that what I have done is not enough.

Internal frustrations aired, let's get into today's Idol Introducion. Returning to the land of the fairies who melt like ice, let's take an updated look at elfloat and see what they're up to, today.

*Despite excessive research, this post and its contents may be incomplete / incorrect, so I apologise in advance. I am in no way an expert on elfloat or idols in general, and I will never claim to be (unless it's for Houkago Princess). This article was simply made out of my passion and love for research and idols, and is my way of sharing something I enjoy with other fans. I did all I could in this post, and hope that you find it useful in the future. Finally, if any mistakes are found, please let me know. I am still improving with my editing, and appreciate your help. Thank you in advance.


The Origin Story

Prior to the groups inception, the company blue clover Co., Ltd began in 2012 as a music video production company that created high quality content at a low cost. Based in Shibuya and headed by CEO Nishiyama Yūsaku, the company gained a good reputation for its services, and would eventually branch into other forms of video production, such as live and CM works, and even live house management down the line. Most importantly, however, the company would go on to create its own sub-branch that focused on idol production.

It was in n May of 2014 that elfloat (エルフロート) became the first group to debut under the blue forest label. With an initial focus on costumes, lyrics that expressed a different world and a diverse range of music, elfloat were quick to gain success after their live debut, and down the line would be noted for their energetic and intense dance style that takes over the stage. Unsurprisingly, elfloat were considered to be the Ace unit of blue forest, and were the longest running group to come out of the company.

Since their first performance, elfloat has gained and held the status of being a Super Live Idol group, and will perform over 300 lives a year. Including solo and one man shows, the group continues to make a name for themselves, continually proving to be a successful, recognisable group regardless of their indies status. Of their live success, elfloat were able to attract 1,200 attendees to their Zepp Tokyo live in May of 2017, and have also held one-man lives at places such as Akasaka BLITZ and Shibuya O-EAST.

And despite their cute appearance and graceful demeanour, elfloat's music style is extremely diverse when it comes to its genres, and include styles such as pop, new wave, heavy metal, visual and club music. Not including two of the groups songs, former producer Nishiyama has acted as the mastermind behind all of the groups songs in terms of composing and producing their material, and has also written the lyrics for about 90% of their works.

Sunday, 10 May 2020

The Sounds Of Spring Comes Together in tiny little charm's '2◯2◯4' (Album Review)

*As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed her are my own, and will not necessarily reflect yours. You are not obligated to agree with me based on the fact that we have our own tastes and preferences. All I ask is that you respect what is written here, and I will in turn respect your words. Thank you.

**I am subject to mistakes and therefore subject to being corrected, so if you see any typo's or errors in my posts, please do not fret and simply call me out on it. I want to improve as much as I can to become a better editor here, but I acknowledge that I need the help of others in order to become better at what I do. Thank you in advance.
A review in which Chiima (not so) shockingly enjoys another Spring release...


Made up of former POLU members and vocalist natsune, tiny little charm began its journey in late 2019 with a mission to 'offer a little bit of healing in your everyday life, with the hope that this song becomes your charm'. Despite being in the early stages of their career however, the group has already compiled together 8 songs and released their first album, 2◯2◯4.

Packed with various aspects of Spring - ranging from a romantic spring, to a spring that you experience after a difficult period in your life - 2◯2◯4 acts as a great introduction to the world of tiny little charm and the music that they offer, and includes five of their previously released tracks, a self-cover of a POLU song, and two new tracks that fit the beauty and loneliness that the Spring season can offer.

With songs that paint a canvas of vibrant worlds and others that create feelings of loneliness, 2◯2◯4 has been an album I have yearned to review upon hearing it, both for the love of reviewing the music I enjoy, and to also share this amazing new group with everyone on here. Luckily my desire to write this piece was raring to go, and I managed to finish it in two days; a quick turnaround for me at this point in my life, admittedly. So, I'm happy to finally share my thoughts with you all, and hope that you join me on this venture into the (not so) unknown world of tiny little charm. Of course, links to some streaming services will be included, so listen along with me for the duration of this review.

It's time to find out why this group has intrigued me so, and to get stuck into 2◯2◯4. Are you ready to plug in your ear/headphones and fall into another world, or will you be hard to convert? It's time to be healed as we get stuck into this release. Let's go~

Listen with me on Spotify or deezer.

Friday, 1 May 2020

When A Bad End Evolves Into A New Beginning: An Introduction to Merry Bad End (Updated on June 4th, 2020)

'An Introduction to' is a passion-fueled project of posts in which I assemble together an article of information on a specific idol group that piques my intrigue, with the ultimate goal being that I introduce the history, concept and members of any given group, and more if possible.

Regardless of a groups tenure or status within the industry, my aim is to create a guide for idol fans, as well as myself. If a group piques my interest, then I will feel a desire to research them, and what better way to fuel my research than to write about the group that I have recently discovered, and potentially fallen in love with?

With that said, today's group is one that I struggled to research, simply because they share a name with a former Visual Kei band (Dec. 2015 - Aug 2018) and a Vocaloid song. But with these hurdles I faced myself and hours of dedicated research, I finally managed to compile enough sources and the necessary information to complete this guide, which ultimately gave me a sense of fulfillment and happiness, because idols and research are my passion!

And now, without further ado, it is time to introduce today's group. Resisting the bad end together with their fans, let's take a look at Merry Bad End!

*Despite my research, I am in no way an expert on Merry Bad End, nor do I claim to be one. This article was made out of my love of idols and research, and to share with other fans who may have an interest in the group. I did all I could to include as much research as possible, and tried my best to include accurate dates and details. Of course, mistakes will be made, so please let me know of any that are undoubtedly sprinkled throughout this post. Thank you in advance.


The Origin Story

The evolution of Merry Bad End (メリーバッドエンド ) is an interesting one, because whilst their story has a defined starting point to their career as a group, it isn't the first of their beginnings. If anything, the group that we have come to know as Merry Bad End have had multiple start points in their short history, and it wouldn't be until May of 2018 where the group would finally get the chance to move forward and make a name for themselves.

But in order to understand why Merry Bad End are the group that they are now, we need to rewind a little bit. So, heading back to 2017, let's actually get into their story and learn a bit of Idol History. Are you ready?