Now, because I will be there for it and it will be my first time ever in Japan or having any chance to see idols in person, I'm sure you can imagine how unbelievably pumped I am for the 2013 Tokyo Idol Festival :)
TIF staff just announced 46 more acts to participate in the festival and I gotta say...the line-up is phenomenal. (Not to mention there is a very good chance they announce more...they added more up until about the week before last year xD)
So, I'd just like to talk a bit about some of my favorite groups that will be performing at TIF and introduce you to them a bit :)
Up Up Girls
If you've followed Hello!Project you probably at least know of the existence of Up Up Girls. It's made up of seven, very talented, past Hello!Project eggs. I've always been a big Akari fan, as when I first got into Hello!Project my Top 2 were Airi and Miyabi, so I stumbled across Aa! videos. She's cute and very talented in both singing and dancing. And I've come to learn she's an absolute nut.
All the members are pretty good as far as both singing and dancing, and they are totally cute! They always perform live, which is always very real and nice ^^ They release new indies singles like crazy, as well. xD
Here they are performing their song "Barebare I LOVE YOU" live!
Mana Ogawa
I can't get over how shocked and happy I am to see her name on the list. I love Ogamana so much, and think she would even be one of my absolute top idols i it weren't for the fact there is hardly any info on her anymore and no new performance videos. When she switched agencies, she seemed to sort of drop off the face of the earth. She stopped releasing any new music and I thought for a while she stopped performing altogether until I dug into it and found she is still performing small little lives here and there.
Anyway, this girl is super talented and is my favorite idol soloist. She is a total cutie pie, and she is SO talented. Great great great singer with fantastic songs, as well as an amazing dancer who has competed in dance competitions.
Here is the music video to her first single, Suppin Rock!
Next, I have to show you a preview to the performance that made her totally catch my eye. I have failed to find a video or download or anything of the whole dvd or even just this particular performance, so I can only give you the short preview I can find, but it's definitely worth it.
She's fantastic live.
Lastly, I must share a video of her doing one of her competitive dance routines. Absolutely beautiful.
JK21 is a local idol group from Kansai. Unlike the other groups I'm gonna post about, I didn't sit around praying this group would be at TIF. I didn't really know them. However, I heard their song "FOOTMAN" recently and it's a really nice song. I still don't really know much about them, but I'm interested in learning and as long as they aren't scheduled at the same time as one of my favorite groups, I'd definitely like to try and see them. ^^
Here is a 42 second preview to their MV to their Major Debut single, I Ai Kansai! (All their MVs on youtube are just previews.)
SUPER☆GiRLS
I am so excited to see this group. I love them inside and out and all around, and was nervous I wouldn't get to see them while in Japan. They are beautiful girls and great performers, and the idea of seeing them live makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They are a group I absolutely will not miss while there. I especially hope they hold a handshake afterwards, and I can maybe get to tell Mirei how great she is!! <3
I have actually written a LOT about this group in a separate post so I'm not gonna really give details here in an effort to make this post not too immense, however, if you do not know about them, I HIGHLY recommend you read my past post! They are the first group I talk about in the blog post linked here.
Dancing Dolls
I have already written a post completely dedicated to this group, and you should definitely check it (you can find it here)
When I found out this group was attending my heart flipped a couple times, I forgot how to breath, remembered how to breathe again, and then cried a little bit. xD
I really really love this idol group. I love their songs, their dancing, their performances, and the member Mii is an idol I am a HUGE fan of, and a dream is to meet her. She replied to me on twitter once and it was pretty much the best thing ever. I'd love to see her in person and be like "Hi!! I'm an American fan- you replied to my tweet! I got to see you live at last!" xD
I will not miss this group perform for anything.
Cheeky Parade
iDOL Street's crazy group, a bunch of little stars. I found this group online when they were selling their indies single at events and fell in love. They were the first non-H!P group I ever bought something from, and I cherish that single <3 I'm really excited to see this group in person, because their performances look SO fun they have so much energy! To learn more about them, check out my iDOL Street blog post here; they are the second group I mention.
Telepathy
I found this group pretty recently and am REALLY interested in them, so I was shocked and ecstatic to see their name on the list. This may be the only idol group I have major interest in that I found completely on my own. (All others I heard a friend mention, or saw a forum post on...something.) The girls are cute and their look and songs are really enjoyable. I really like their sound a lot. I'm super excited to (hopefully, so long as the TIF schedule allows it) get to see them in person. I've been becoming more and more of a fan of them since the day I found them, and seeing them live would just be it for me. Down for the count, head over heels xD
You can see them perform here:
It seems they upload all of their lives on their youtube channel, it's updated really regularly! If you're interested, the channel is airdolTube
Dorothy Little Happy
I think most idol fans have at least heard of Dorothy Little Happy. Great group! <3 I've liked them for quite a while. The girls are all good dancers and the songs are really nice, simple, enjoyable pop songs. They've been gaining in well-deserved popularity for a while now, and are about to release their 7th single (5t major single) titled "Colorful Life" on June 12th.
Here's the MV to their last single, "Life goes on":
PASSPO☆
PASSPO☆ is a group that I believe, without a doubt, deserves everyone's attention. They are an airline-themed pop/rock idol group, and they have everything it takes to get somewhere big. For one thing, every member is gorgeous. I don't mean they have some cute girls. I men they are all absolutely stunning. For another, they have powerful vocals but can successfully pull off every sound they try to go for with them. Every last song by them, from their indies days until today, is completely fantastic and I recommend everyone give them a listen.
Lastly, they give a heck of a performance.
The first time I saw them perform was when I watched the Yubi Matsuri DVD. I didn't really know anything about the group outside their name, but when the DVD was over I was left feeling they were the best performance and needing more.
The group also has their on tv show, PASSPO☆ no Shaku Uma, and it is currently being subbed by Economy Class Subs. I definitely suggest checking it out!
I am SO excited to see PASSPO live, I can't even properly express it. And, I was lucky enough to get a ticket to their August 3rd concert, so I will be seeing quite a lot of them! I'm so pumped!
Now, for those of you who aren't aware of how great these girls are, please watch the MV to their song "Candy Room"! It's fun, playful, cute and has just a hint of sexy ;D <3
That song has a bit more of a pop sound than a lot of their others, though, so for good measure let's link one more. (This translates to "there is never enough PASSPO") Here is their live performance from Yubi Matsuri! (Actual performance starts at 1:20)
Palet
Palet is considered a sister group of PASSPO. Most girls in Palet were originally contenders to be in PASSPO, but instead, after not being chosen, formed this group! The group has a definite different sound than PASSPO, much more poppy and sweet, but the vocals are soothing and the girls are cute and definitely worth looking into.
I'm still learning about the group myself, but I really like all their music and the member holding their white color, Yui, so I definitely want to go see them at TIF!
Here is a (short) MV to their song "Shouri no Seal":
Predia
Predia is also considered to be a PASSPO sister group by most people, as they are under the same Label. (Jolly Roger) Predia is the cool, mature, sexy group of the bunch, and all the members are on the older side when it comes to idols, which is a nice change!
Here is the MV to their most recent song "Crazy Cat"!
Baby Raids
Baby Raids is another group I was hoping with all my heart I could catch while in Japan. They have awesome music with a slight rock-ish sound and surprisingly strong vocals. On top of that, they have loads of energy! I can not WAIT to see them live and they happen to be releasing another single while I'm in Japan so my hope is to try and see them a couple times. Hopefully they have some events! I'm really into them- I'd even go so far to say they are one of my favorite idol groups right now! I'm especially in love with their most recent single. So, rather than try and explain it, how bout I just let you check it out for yourself? ;D
Here is "JUMP!" by Baby Raids:
Lucky Color's
This group I got really interested in back in January but have had trouble finding much on them. I know they all were models and it seems they are backed by the modeling agency. I also know that the internet seems to not have a studio version of a single one of their songs anywhere, and I am beginning to wonder if they have even released CDs at their events. xD
Anyway, the girls are all completely beautiful from head to toe,and from what I can hear off of these lives recorded with phones and cameras, they actually have really nice vocals. I can't really tell you a ton about this group, but something about them really draws me in and so I'm really happy I'm going to get the chance to see them.
(However, judging by their blog, it's possible they may be only 3 members now? I'm trying to figure that out...)
Anyway, here is a taste of Lucky Color's:
And, at last, that covers the groups that were just announced that I am interested in seeing. (Not to mention THE Possible, AeLL., and Sakura Gakuin, and Tokyo Girls' Style, who were announced from Day 1.) Considering how absolutely massive this post is, I hope you can see why I am as pumped as I am about TIF this year and me being able to go. I feel like it was made for me XD
They will be announcing more groups and, honestly, I don't have much more to ask for xD The biggest ones would be GEM and/or iDOL Street streetsei, Party Rockets, Prizmmy☆, Fairies, i☆Ris and Ebichu.
I also wouldn't mind Especia, Osaka BB Wave, Osaka Show Gangs, Caramel☆Ribbon, KOBerrieS♪, SKETCH, JuRias, Tenkafubu Gifu Hime Gundan, Ruchiro, and Ponbashi wktk Mates. Those groups I don't know a ton about, but I have heard a bit and very much like what I hear and am interested and open to more!
Anyway, that ends this ridiculously long blog post :P
Are any of you traveling to TIF, or have you ever?
Who are you most excited to see in the line-up?
Who are you most hoping gets announced?
Leave your answer in the comments please! <3
I also wouldn't mind Especia, Osaka BB Wave, Osaka Show Gangs, Caramel☆Ribbon, KOBerrieS♪, SKETCH, JuRias, Tenkafubu Gifu Hime Gundan, Ruchiro, and Ponbashi wktk Mates. Those groups I don't know a ton about, but I have heard a bit and very much like what I hear and am interested and open to more!
Anyway, that ends this ridiculously long blog post :P
Are any of you traveling to TIF, or have you ever?
Who are you most excited to see in the line-up?
Who are you most hoping gets announced?
Leave your answer in the comments please! <3
