Houkago Princess Reignite The Summer Heat in 'Shakunetsu no Mystery Eye / Zesse Cleopatra' (Single Review)

*As per usual, all thoughts and opinions expressed within this review are mine, and mine alone. Each persons feelings and opinions differ, and I am not different, so please respect my thoughts and feelings that have been written here. I also do not intend to offend, so if you are offended, I do Let's just respect one another's views, and enjoy our Idol music. Thank you.

**To add, I am terrible when it comes to typo's. I also suck at grammar and punctuation, so if there are any mistakes riddled in this review, please call me out on it. Thank you in advance.

In which Chiima battles the heat of the summer with HouPri's latest addition to their song catalogue...

In these trying times of turmoil and uncertainty, Houkago Princess have prepared a brand new song to ignite hope, and bring back your spirit for the summer of 2020. With the strength of Cleopatra embedded in their lyrics, as well as the passion of the members singing these songs, Houkago Princess will bring back the summer heat, and instil hope and liveliness to all who will listen to their music.

Made up of two tracks, the most recent addition to Houkago Princesses discography is also the last for sub-leader Maika, who will be leaving the group after 6 years of activity, and continue to work as a solo artist. With her graduation on the horizon, Shakunetsu no Mystery Eye / Zesse Cleopatra sees Maika and the other members of Houkago Princess transform into the beautiful and strong Cleopatra, the Pharaoh whose legacy is still remembered 3,000 years on.

It's time to tell a story with Houkago Princess once again, but this time we are looking at the history of a desert Queen. Are you ready to step back in time and experience a brilliant summer like no other?

Fighting For Better Days in 'King for a day' by Merry Bad End (Song Review)

*All thoughts and opinions regarding the song in question are completely my own. Our opinions may / will differ, but ultimately we can not always have the same views on something. So, whether you agree or disagree with me, please respect what is being said here, and I will in turn respect your own views. I love discussing the merits and downsides of a song with others, so if you want a civil dispute, feel free to dispute with me! But, again: don't disrespect my opinion, or feel the need to try and make me think like you. We are individuals, and individuals do not have the same line of thought! Thank you.

**I am but a human, not a robot, therefore I will make mistakes. Any mistakes here, please point them out. I am useless with grammar, and have a tendency to litter my review with typo's. I am thankful for anyone who points them out, and will do my best to fix my mistakes if they are directed to me. Thank you in advance!

In which Chiima checks out Merry Bad End's most recent song release in a quick review...

Resisting the bad end with each passing day, Merry Bad End are back with a new fight song to inspire their fans, one that incites hope and spirit thanks to a powerful instrumental and beautiful vocals!

Acting as the third song release of 2020, King for a day follows a steady pattern of song releases from Merry Bad End, who have now been releasing a new song each month since the end of March this year. With each new track invoking an image of better times, King for a day comes at a perfect time in the year to inspire and uplift its listener, and to deliver a message of hope and resilience for those who need it most.

With its Dystopian sound and beautiful vocals, Merry Bad End are ready to help you resist these hard times, and to pull you forward in a bid to find light during even the darkest of times with their newest fight song. But it's up to you to determine how you feel about it, so here is the question: is it as inspirational as I make it out to be, or will it fall flat and leave you unfulfilled during these times?

It's time to answer that question and give King for a day a listen. Who will be wearing the crown once this is all over...?

Listen with me on Spotify.

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.

An Introduction to MeniPara: The Group That Will Shift the Paradigms of Their Dreams and Possibilities (Updated on January 7th, 2021)

'An Introduction to' is my random, passion-project fueled series here on Okay! Musume Time, - and sometimes Selective Hearing - where I bring together my love of idols and research in order to create a document filled with information and idol goodness.

My aim here is to introduce a variety of groups to my readers, as well as to document and give insight to who they are, what they do and more. It doesn't matter what their tenure within the entertainment world is, nor does it bother me how well-known or unknown they might be; if they pique my interest, I'm probably going to write about them at some point, and what better way to write about them than an introduction post to share with everyone here?

And with that, let's introduce today's group. Shifting the paradigms of their dreams and possibilities to become a group with no boundaries, today's group introduction is MeniPara!

*In no way am I an expert on MeniPara, nor do I claim to be one. I am simply a fan of the group and did all I could in terms of research to get as much as information as possible, though there may be some mistakes. This post was simply made for fun and out of my love for both idols and research, as well as to create awareness for this amazing group. Please be aware that this document is not perfect, but simply a passion project from an over-eager fan.

The Origin Story

Though they would not debut until September of 2019, MeniPara's journey officially began in June of 2019, when general manager Natsuno Kanami made the announcement that she would be returning to her roots as an idol with a new group that would be completely self-produced. In order to find new members for the group, Kanami held 'secret auditions' on her official YouTube channel, where she would invite various guests with different entertainment backgrounds for interviews, only to reveal her intentions at the end of the interview. She would then ask the interviewee if they would join her idol group. Among the interviewees, a former idol, gravure model and voice actress were included.

Kanami revealed the winners of the audition on July 8th 2019, and introduced members Aisawa Rinna, Minami Yuri, Maako Miwa and Ogusu Rienna as the final formation for her up-coming group. On July 10th, Kanami uploaded a video where the members decided on the groups name together, where they revealed that they would be called MeniPara - many many paradigm -. The group is generally known as 'MeniPara'.

After announcing their formation, MeniPara began working on creating the lyrics and choreography for their original songs, all prior to their live debut. The process of the groups up-coming September debut, including costume creation, song recordings, dance rehearsals and MV shootings, were uploaded to the groups official YouTube channel. As a part of their image, the group aims to document as much of their journey as possible, as well as deliver fun content that shows off their bond and individual personalities.

On August 15th, 2019, MeniPara uploaded their first official music video for their song Taiyoukei Cinderella, which has been coined as an orthodox idol song. A month later, the group made their official live debut at Shibuya Star Lounge on September 8th, 2019 with five original songs.

During the New Year of 2020, the characters in MeniPara's name changed from メニぱら to めにぱら. The official reading of the name is めにぱら - many many paradigm -

Completely self-produced, MeniPara's aim is to become a group where each member can realise what they want by working without restriction, and to throw away the stereotypes that are connected to the word 'idol'. As each member has a different age, background, experiences and preferences, the ultimate aim of the group is for MeniPara to become a place in which each member can share their own thoughts and perspectives, whilst also realising what they want to do as individuals. For this reason, MeniPara is a group that has no theme or stereotype attached to it in regards to their image, music genres, etc.

On August 1st, 2020, MeniPara released their first digital mini-album, titled First Paradigm Shift.

As the group is completely self-produced, all funding, event bookings, promotions and music production, etc, is sourced by the members themselves.

MeniPara's official slogan is: 'A paradigm shift of dreams and possibilities'

The Quintet's Revival: NECRONOMIDOL Introduce New Members and Reveal Early 2019 Plans

During the later hours of January 13th, 2019, NECRONOMIDOL returned to its quintet status during their sponsored live show, BEYOND vol. 1, held at Shibuya CYCLONE in Tokyo, Japan. With this show, not only were new members were introduced, but announcements for the first quarter of the year were made, marking a busy but entertaining beginning of the year for Japan's ultra-dark Idol group.

Starting with the first announcement, NECRONOMIDOL finally revealed the identities of the newest members to join the group. After much speculation and anticipation, it was revealed that Kunogi Kenbishi and Michelle had joined NECRONOMIDOL, returning the group to its five member formation.