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nxmuzluv · 4 months

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THE FIRST SINGLE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

“GIRLS DON’T CRY” is the debut single by CHOUKA AIKAWA. Released on April 5th, 2024, the song went on to top charts in various countries. Hailed as one of the best debuts of 2024, critics and fans alike fell in love with the song’s “girlish” and carefree production, and praised how Chouka stayed so true to her hyperfeminine, “princesscore” image. The song’s success as caused critics to name her as a pop girl on the rise.

TRACKLIST … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

GIRLS DON’T CRY ! LEAD SINGLE

CAKE ! B-SIDE

GIRLS DON’T CRY (SPED UP)

PHOTOCARDS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Highly praised for its sound and how it fit Chouka’s style, “Girls Don’t Cry” was a resounding success. The music video’s teaser, which was released with no prior notice onto a completely new YouTube channel (“c.a.”) with no previous content (it was later turned into a channel for all of Chouka’s music related endeavors), garnered over 3.2 million views within its first twenty-four hours after Chouka posted it to her Twitter and Instagram accounts. The single’s title was revealed on both platforms an hour later, coinciding with the launch of her official website, which displayed the title alongside a countdown timer.

The song received over 400,000 pre-saves, and the title was trending on Twitter with over a million Tweets. Shortly before “Girls Don’t Cry” dropped, Chouka’s website was updated with the single’s cover, and she posted behind the scenes photos of her on its set, which received over two million likes within the first day.

Upon the song’s release, it was a smash hit. The music video garnered 32 million views within its first 24 hours, finding itself at #1 on YouTube’s trending page, and topping both the Spotify and Apple Music charts. It went on to become the second most streamed song on Spotify in regards to first day streams. “Girls Don’t Cry” topped charts in several countries, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines (it also managed to remain atop the Oricon chart for seven weeks).

Surprisingly enough, “Girls Don’t Cry” would debut at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with sales of over 200,00 units, despite industry insiders predicting a Top 20 debut; probably due to the song’s immense popularity online. Unfortunately, it would never reach #1, falling to #7 after five weeks and staying there for two until falling off, but Rosettes were still happy to see that Chouka’s debut managed to get that high. In total, the single would sell over 850,000 units within its first week, cracking a million by the end of April.

Additionally, the song was also praised for its lyricism and feminist commentary on how women who are seen as “strong” or “smart” are not allowed to cry or display negative emotions and are expected to act as role models, while women who appear as if they have everything are told to “just deal with it” and that they have “nothing to be upset about.” Many Rosettes (and critics) were also surprised to find out that Chouka had written most of the lyrics, as she never expressed interest in songwriting before.

“Cake” was released as a single a month later, on May 3rd, 2024. Although the music video received over 11 million views within its first twenty-four hours, Rosettes were … a bit divided. It seemed like none of them could figure out whether they liked the song or not, with certain Tweets saying …

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ y’all are just HATERS ! like y’all have truly forgotten what real pop music sounds like bc cake is a hit idc ! ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ chouka girl with all due respect i think letting a major label get a hold of you was a mistake ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ no bc this is girly girl music ! it’s cute it’s fun it’s bouncy and it’s so HER ! chouka bby get behind me PUT DOWN THE HATERADE NOWWWW !! ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ #notmychouka girl why does this sound so EMPTY ??? republic needs to pay for their crimes bc ….. ”

Despite the confusion, “Cake” also went on to top charts. It also debuted atop the Apple Music chart, and came in second beneath “Girls Don’t Cry” on Spotify. It managed to debut at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, although Rosettes were gunning for a higher placement (it was definitely because they couldn’t stop beefing with each other). The song remained on the chart for two weeks (managing to jump to #5 during its second), before completely falling off the Top Ten.

Luckily, more retrospective reviews shows that Rosettes have warmed up to “Cake,” saying that it fit the aesthetic of the lead single. Everyone loved the “sugar sweet” concept that Chouka had going on, and expressed pleasant surprise that her try at a music career was going so well.

STYLING … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

ERA HIGHLIGHTS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Definitely a fun era! Republic was truly pushing this single and girl, it showed. There were billboards playing her music video (Rosettes in New York even crowded around one when it first launched), ads plastered all across YouTube, “Girls Don’t Cry” was all over the radio, and it was the most popular song on TikTok for a good month.

The promotions were insane! Chouka was all over television this era. She was on the Kelly Clarkson Show (which was too cute! Like Kelly literally complimented her accent), she was on Jimmy Fallon, she was on GMA … like you truly could not escape her! She also had a photoshoot with Harper’s Bazaar and people ate it up! It was very Marie Antoinette themed with huge dresses, pastries, and of course, it was shot at a chateau in France!

And of course she had to promote in Japan! Chouka performed both “Girls Don’t Cry” and “Cake” on Music Station, and no one expected either song to have choreography. But the choreo was so cute, and especially for “Girls Don’t Cry!” Like you could truly tell that Chouka was having a blast, and everyone was so surprised at her stage presence because she’s literally a YouTuber. She also held a press conference in Tokyo, and she even got to visit a pop-up event held by Rosettes at a café in her hometown, Kyoto! It was the cutest thing to see her interacting with her fans, and she thanked them at least five times.

Chouka managed to squeeze in Korean promotions, as well! She performed both of her singles on M Countdown, Inkigayo, and The Show, and she was even on Weekly Idol! She held a small fansign for 200 fans who participated in the pre-order and received a “mystery ticket” with their album, and it was so cute! Chouka was cracking jokes with them and receiving SO many gifts (most of which were either pink or ridiculously expensive; she got a lot of bouquets, too!). Her Korean promos even saw the birth of her first fansite, Strawberry Sweet! She also appeared on the cover of Vogue Korea, and after that, Korean promotions ended unfortunately.

Side note, every performance of “Girls Don’t Cry” started with a costume change! It was usually Chouka tearing off a huge ball gown like skirt to reveal her shorter costume underneath, and her performance on M Countdown was literally her playing a princess getting ready for a ball. There was also a lot of ribbons, platform heels, and satin gloves used styling wise, and Chouka’s makeup was always so soft and pink!

Although she didn’t have enough songs to perform a full set, Chouka attended Coachella anyways and met a bunch of Rosettes! Jason (her fiancé) also tagged along, so fans got to meet him, too! Fashion girls were all over her festival looks too … being raised in Milan truly did wonders for her fashion sense.

Girl, the way the “#GirlsDontCryChallenge” blew up on TikTok is insane. The song had over a million videos underneath it by the start of June, and Chouka was doing it with celebs like Kelly, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, the members of Aespa, the members of Itzy, Rosé of BLACKPINK, Nayeon and Momo from TWICE, Yuju, the members of Viviz, and a few members of Stray Kids and NCT; among others! Chouka also did the challenge with Leeseo, Rei, and Wonyoung of IVE, and the way Dives and Rosettes were across every social media app absolutely freaking out that Chouka and Wonyoung were the same room was truly crazy.

Towards the end of promotions, a full length documentary covering the making of “Girls Don’t Cry,” the music videos, and the subsequent performances premiered on YouTube. It was a mix of professional camera shots and footage personally shot by Chouka herself, which was refreshing since Rosettes got to see a sillier side to her personality. The documentary garnered over 3 million views within the first twenty-four hours, and would end up at #5 on YouTube’s trending page.

At the end of promos, Chouka posted a long, heartfelt letter to her Instagram thanking fans for their support and expressing how surprised she was at the single’s success. She wrote, “I know that you guys have been waiting three years for me to try my hand at music, and words cannot express how happy I am that it was worth the wait. Over these last few months, you all have shown me so much love, and just thinking about it is moving me to tears as I write this! I promise that I’ll repay your support tenfold. You guys truly mean the world to me, and I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it weren’t for you. You are truly my other half, even if I unfortunately don’t know you personally (don’t tell Jason I said that). I hope and pray that one day, I’ll be able to meet every single one of you from around the whole world in person, and tell you just how much you mean to me. Until next time, my loves. Ti amo sempre e per sempre. Ciao ciao. ♡”

Additionally, there was also a remix planned with PinkPantheress, but unfortunately, plans ended up falling through because Chouka simply … didn’t want to do it. However, Rosettes ended up finding out about the planned collab, and demand for it was huge. So the remix could happen in the future! Who knows.

All in all, this era was great. It truly showed how much untapped star power Chouka had, and the numbers proved it. It reinforced her “It girl” status, showing that no matter what industry she tried her hand at, she would still dominate. ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

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weidol-ent · 2 years

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WEIDOL ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES CAST FOR NEW SURVIVAL SHOW " IDOLMAKER: COMET FACTORY; " PILOT PREMIERES NOVEMBER 7TH

After a year of suspense, WEIDOL Entertainment has not only released the name of their new trainee survival show, but also its cast and premiere date. On October 11th, WEIDOL Entertainment announced the name of the show to be IDOLMAKER: COMET FACTORY, and revealed the eighteen trainees who will be competing to debut as a group of seven.

Three years after the commercial success of their first survival show, WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT, the shocking growth of WEIDOL Entertainment has founder and CEO Kim Chul-sung plotting out the next steps for the company. With the influx of new trainees, each of them eager to debut, the best of the best will have the chance to prove themselves - in every aspect.

" While each of them have incredible talents, " states Kim Chul-sung, " the intention [of COMET FACTORY] is similar to that of WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT, in that it's meant to test trainees on all aspects of an idol's performance: dance, vocals, rapping, charisma, and more. We don't expect perfection, but we expect the ability to learn. To represent WEIDOL is not to be perfect, but to understand how every piece of the puzzle comes together. "

Many speculate that the biggest change between WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT and COMET FACTORY will be the judging system - where the former heavily relied on public voting, COMET FACTORY will be using audience votes sparingly, focusing more on judges' critiques and progress reports. While many netizens say that ditching the public vote prevents voting fraud and allows for more meaningful critiques, others claim it could lead to a higher amount of producer bias. Discussions have also turned to the legitimacy of voting during WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT, which WEIDOL Entertainment has not commented on.

IDOLMAKER: COMET FACTORY is set to premiere on November 7th, 2022, and contestant biographies will be revealed over the coming days. Will you be tuning in?

COMMENTS.

[ +90 / -3 ] sooooo exciting!!!! can't wait to see what the dolls have in store

[ +37 / -12 ] are they always just going to go for east asian trainees?? where are my SEA girls :(

ㅤㅤ⤷ [ +14 / -25 ] it's not that deep bestie calm down

ㅤㅤ⤷ [ +178 / -2 ] they have a couple of southeast asian trainees set to debut actually!!

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⤷ [ +84 / -31 ] SOURCE???!!!?!!?!

[ +206 / -61 ] this seems like it's going to be good! taking out the audience voting was a great decision on wdl's part, i can only imagine the relief the girls are feeling

[ +82 / -7 ] sadako and younghee my beloveddddd <3 all of them are so cute, a show full of visuals

[ +89 / -17 ] have you guys seen charlie's tiktoks?! she's hilarious, i can't wait to see her on the show!!!!

[ +20 / -102 ] weidol needs to focus more on their other groups first :/ like ok. new girl group. where's the harpy club full album we were promised a year ago??

ㅤㅤ⤷ [ +209 / -1 ] this ain't about them!!! just focus on supporting our girls <3

HOW DOES THIS ARTICLE MAKE YOU FEEL?

#── ( HEADLINES ! )#── ( COMET FACTORY ! )#── ( SURVIVAL SHOWS ! )#aes!ocnet #fake kpop company #fake kpop group #fake entertainment company #fake kpop soloist #fake jpop group #kpop oc #jpop oc #krp #koc #oc girl group #oc soloist #fake survival show #oc survival show #/ SURPRISEEEEE

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plus-plus46 · 3 years

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━━━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━━━

Terasawa Yukie is a Japanese singer, dancer, entertainer and actress member of the japanese female idol group Nogizaka46. She joined the group in 2018 alongside the rest of the fourth generation. Since her debut she has been one of the most popular member of the 4th generation due to her top notch dance skills, beautiful visuals, sweet vocals and lovely personality.

☆ Personal Info

• Birth name: Terasawa Yukie (kanji: 寺沢雪恵)

• Nicknames: Yukkichan

• Languages: Japanese (native), English (Conversational), Korean (Basic).

• Ethnicity: Yamato Japanese

• Nationality: Japanese

• Birth place: Yamagata-ken, Yamagata-shi, Japan.

• Birthday: 13th June, 2001 (20 years old).

• Religion: Shintoism, Japanese folk practices and mahayana buddhism.

• Zodiac sign: Taurus.

• Chinese sign: Snake.

• Blood type: AB+

• Height: 154cm.

• Weight: 47kg.

• Sexuality: Straight.

• Relationship: Kawashiri Ren (2020 - present/closed)

• Face claim: Terasawa Mirei

☆ Career

• Company: Sony Music Japan Nogizaka46 Division.

• Group: Nogizaka46.

• Years active: 2018 - present.

• Kenkyuusei period: 2 years.

• Positions: Senbatsu member.

• Survival show: None.

• Colors: ice blue and frost white.

• Emojis: 🌨/❄

☆ Personality

Good traits: Sweet, caring, lovely, nice, gentle, delicate, well-mannered.

Bad traits: A little bit stubborn, too emotional.

☆ Family

Father: Terasawa Satoshi 寺沢智 (age 51 - 1970)

Mother: Terasawa Maeko 寺沢前子 (age 47 - 1974)

Older brother: Terasawa Minato 寺沢海凪音 (age 27 - 1994)

Older brother: Terasawa Ryuichi 寺沢龍一 (age 24 - 1997)

☆ Endorsements:

☆ Dior: 2019 - present

☆ Essie nail polish brand: 2020 - present

☆ Doritos: 2020 - present

☆ Jimmy Choo: 2021 - present

☆ Solo Discography:

None.

☆ Filmography:

☆ Movies:

• Kingdom (2019): Secondary Character - Lin Wei

• Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021): Secondary Character - Osawa Aika

☆ Dramas:

• Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi (2019) - Secondary character - Inoue Nako.

• Shiro demo Kuro demonai Sekai de, Panda wa Warau (2020) - Secondary character - Uehara Nao.

• Aishiteru eikyuu (2021) - Secondary character - Matsuda Aiko.

☆ Statistics:

• Vocals: 8/10

• Rap: 3/10

• Dance: 10/10

• Variety: 10/10

• Acting: 10/10

• Songwriting: 7/10

• Stage presence: 10/10

• Production: 4/10

☆ Trivia:

¤ She was born on a very tough winter, so her parents decided to change her name to "Yukie" and used the characters "雪恵" that means "snow blessing". Her name was actually supposed to be "Maki"

¤ Her father owns three restaurants in Yamagata and one of them the oldest and most respected and traditional restaurant in the city.

¤ She learned how to cook with her father and members say she's the best cook in Nogizaka46. Oftentimes she cooks for them.

¤ Her mother is a vet and her clinic is quite famous in Yamagata.

¤ Her family isn't rich but they have a very comfortable lifestyle, she went overseas twice before joining Nogizaka46.

¤ Her brothers went viral on tiktok for dancing and showing their abs and got nicknamed "the hot Japanese brothers". The members teased her a little bit but also asked her to introduce them.

¤ She's really close with her family, she always posts pictures with them and they don't mind showing their faces.

¤ Because she grew with a big family, having two brothers, her parents, uncles and cousins always around, she wants to have a big family too and said she wants 3 children.

¤ She loves any kind of food that has squids, octopuses or sea food.

¤ She's a nctzen and Jam, her bias are Doyoung and Sungchan and her oshis are Junki and Ren.

¤ Her biggest dream is Nogizaka46 getting popular overseas and bringing more recognition to japanese idols.

¤ She thinks her hair, her eyes and her scent are her charm points.

¤ She's really close with Yoda Yuki and Kaki Haruka.

¤ Her favorite superhero is Zatanna, she said that she would like to play her in a movie someday.

¤ If she could have a superpower she wanted the ability to read other people's heart and mind.

¤ She's a great dancer and considered one of the best in whole sakamichi series.

¤ She wants to act in an overseas movie someday.

¤ She won a poll of "most beautiful Japanese idol under 30" with 500k votes which brought her a few international attention.

¤ Her biggest hobby is baking and she loves making pies.

¤ She has a profile on Letterbox to review every movie she watches, so far she has reviewed more than 100 movies.

¤ Her ideal type is someone who is charming, kind, lovely, cute, friendly, tall and can take care of her.

#fake jpop idol #jpop au #jpop oc #nogizaka46 #nogizaka46 addiction #nogizaka46 oc #idol oc #fictional idol community #fake idol #female idol

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hbhtrainees · 4 years

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Finality

Summary: Daisuke formally is removed from Produce 101. He parts with his new friends at the airport.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷ ⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

Haneda airport was crowded with tourists, business people, and other travelers, yet Daisuke managed to get through without having anyone bump into his sling. That was mostly thanks to the squadron of young men surrounding Daisuke as they made their way to his gate. In just an hour, Daisuke would be on a flight back to Korea. Everything seemed too surreal for him. He was still in denial about his departure from Produce 101, despite the news articles being released this morning confirming his leave.

He wasn’t expecting anyone to accompany him to the airport, but Heecheon, Yoondong, Younghoon, Ren, Takumi, Issei, and Kosuke all came with him to send him off. There definitely would have been more press and fans around, but all the boys were covered up in hats and masks. Their identity was hard to pin, especially when they looked just like any other traveler.

Once they reached Daisuke’s gate, that sinking feeling of finality came back to Daisuke’s stomach. He felt it when he finished packing his last suitcase in the dorms, and again when the remaining trainees following the elimination round stood outside their doors that morning to watch him leave.

“You have everything? Your friend is going to meet you when you land?” Heecheon checked one last time. Daisuke managed a small huff of a laugh. He felt like he was leaving one parent to go visit the other. He was going to miss Heecheon’s parenting.

“Yes. If I forgot anything at the dorms, you guys can keep it.” Daisuke gave a small smile. The boys in front of him tried to return the same, but it was hard. They had spent every single day together for the past several weeks. It was the end, but it felt like there should have been more. So many memories that could have been made together would never happen. Their time together had been cut short, and that was the worst of it all.

Daisuke’s throat tightened at the thought. He licked his lips before speaking, trying not to think that this will most likely be the last time they’re all here together.

“I-I want you guys to know that I had a lot of fun.” Daisuke got out. “And that I’m not upset about losing the competition. I’m mostly upset about leaving you guys.”

Takumi sniffled, wiping under his eyes with his thumb. Ren’s arm wrapped around the strawberry-haired boy, but even his eyes were glossing over with fresh tears.

“But in a way, I think this was destiny.” Daisuke continued. “Just like how all of us meeting together on Produce was destiny. We’re going to meet again, just under better circumstances. Hopefully where I don’t have a bum arm.” He gestured to his sling, causing the boys around him to chuckle.

“Daisuke, you’re gonna go far. I know you will, kid.” Kosuke came up and patted his head in a brotherly way. “Focus on getting better. I’ll defiantly be keeping tabs on you.” “That sounded mildly threatening, but I appreciate it.” Daisuke grinned. Kosuke chuckled and backed up so the others could say goodbye.

“It sucks that I can’t even give you a proper goodbye hug.” Younghoon complained, but he stepped forward and gingerly wrapped an arm around Daisuke. “Rest up, okay? And promise you’ll call?” “God, you’re worse than Heecheon.” Daisuke laughed. “But yes. I will call. And I will be watching you guys from Korea.” “Use your votes on me!” Kosuke raised his hand as if he was in a classroom. The boys laughed as Daisuke nodded. “I’ll be splitting my votes up between all of you. You guys deserve debut, and you will make it. I know you will.” Daisuke said firmly.

“You will too.” Ren affirmed, coming over to give his friend a gentle goodbye hug. “When you debut, just remember that we are your first and biggest Japanese fanbase.” “I couldn’t forget it.” Daisuke swore.

Above them, an announcement alerted travelers that the flight Daisuke was taking home would be landing shortly.

“That’s your cue.” Heecheon said sadly, taking in a deep breath. “One last group hug?” Takumi suggested. Everyone agreed, huddling together gingerly. When they separated, Daisuke grabbed the handle of his suitcase and took out his ticket from his pocket.

“Well, we’ll meet again soon.” Daisuke looked at everyone’s face one last time. “Good luck, boys. I’ll see you on the other side!”

As the trainee waved and turned his back on his new friends, he could hear them clapping together as he walked away. A smile formed on his lips as he looked back over his shoulder. His friends clapped harder and more vigorously, as if this was the end of a spectacular performance.

He gave them a dramatic bow, causing them to laugh. When he rose up, he gave them a final wave before entering the gate.

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nozomuaoyama · 3 years

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DVHS Reactions - 5.2

Okay, I really want to keep going after this chapter, but I have homework.

Yasu’s this chapter’s victim, right? The killer probably took advantage of her heart condition to do it, then.

I don’t know…Abe hasn’t done anything bad yet, and it is important to find the mastermind.

Sayaka?

Still hung up on assassin!Yasu.

Oh, right, he’s a jpop stan.

"I would almost prefer that." Right, because of the Towa City Monokumas and all…

Wait. That’s why they’re here. They’re kids from Towa City who were unbrainwashed and then…held as hostages in Hope’s Peak?

Oh, no.

According to WebMD: “Scotch broom contains chemicals that might cause an increase in body water loss through the urine. It also contains chemicals that affect heart rhythm.” Yasu? Yasu???

Is this…a reproduction of HPA? Or did the mastermind (the real mastermind, since I’m not entirely convinced Nakamura is the only one behind this) somehow renovate?

"If I'm not mistaken, none of our talents are in any way related to maps of places or buildings except for yours.” Talents. Talents, again. Is everyone secretly talentless?

Oh. Oh, this is going to be important.

"At the end of everything… I'm going to need everyone's trust. So no more hostility." What. What does this mean?

Friends!

“I mean it in a jokey way, but something in him stiffens just a touch at my words.” See, this. This is what I’m talking about.

"Yeah. I'm just worried about him. He's got as much bad luck as I do, just...different. But he's always optimistic." Wait, Makoto? Does the timeline match up?

How old were the Warriors in UDG, anyway? Beyond just “elementary school.”

And here we see everything going down the drain with Hallucination Miyuki.

…

This is important.

"I promise I'm not going to sacrifice myself so the rest of you can leave. There, happy?" I think the wording of that is important, too.

I like the mental image. Late night hacking with best boy. (I think this counts as hacking.)

“If you even try sending someone from [REDACTED], I will personally ensure that there will be no survivors. That includes whatever [REDACTED] agents you send.” Abe? Does that mean Abe? Is Nakamura trying to get everyone killed just because he knows Abe’s an infiltrator?

Oh, god, is he going to try to kill everyone at the final trial?

Nine years? What happened?

I know V3 ties into this somehow… do they have fake memories?

Ah. Hayashi. Just like one of my OCs.

It can’t be Reserve Course Sato, though. She’s dead. She was dead before the Tragedy.

Jataro?

Fourteen? Okay, so the extras are Abe / Nagisa and…probably Nakamura.

“The others are on standby, but your skillset is better for this.” Sounds like Nagisa, yes.

The first two names are probably Toko and Komaru.

“Your students” Oh, it’s Makoto! Why did it take me this long?

Reason #32 I Love Aoyama. (I’m kidding, I do not actually have a list.)

Yasu!

“Lucky I was nearby or I wouldn't have known to sound the announcement!" …Other important thing.

"I always put everything I know in there! Bear's honor!" Liar.

“She's small- they both must've been eight or nine when this was taken- and I think she's in a wheelchair. She and Yasu both smile at the camera; the girl's green hair is brushed out, while Yasu's hair is short like it is now, though it's dark instead of being streaked with pink. “ a) Monaca??? b) Yasu has pink streaks?

So…she poisoned herself? At the very least, if she had a heart condition, the petal could’ve messed with it and killed her. Would it be an accident?

Is the real mastermind busy trying to keep Tokomaru from getting in?

Okay, Aoyama is off the list. Thank goodness. I think everyone else had the opportunity to get into Yasu’s room and kill her.

#dvhs #i read dvhs

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plutinya · 4 years

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okay ! time for !!

funny joke ,,

anyways ,,, hello !! 11/4/20 - I'm Alicia and I'm 18 from South East England :))) i look rlly vain but its kinda a thing I've grown habit to do to take lots of selfies because overtime fake confidence will help build real confidence ,, anyway that's how it works for me ajdjsjksks

sexuality b really weird n that bc ive been fairly certain my whole life I was gay or whatever and then like I met my bf and??? wacky. anyways its a big jump but I'm like sure I'm straight and I thought I was gay bc uh reasons I won't delve into BC personal funky stuff but girls r still pretty rad y'all funky

Moving on ! Yes my bf,, I love him so much ahhh. he lives on the other side of England which is Really Sad but !! Nonetheless , I'm madly in love with he. I could go on and on about him but this post will around be super long so asldlslsls

Yes ! So I'm 18 , from England, studying Fashion at college for the past two years but with lockdown and stuff I don't think I'll be finishing this year at college normally which kinda sucks but I think I'll only miss the college food and my lunchtime naps.. In September ! I'm starting uni and I'm doing a course in comic art,,, so excited, its something I've wanted to do my WHOLE life and I'm so excited to be able to finally have control of what I wanna do ahhhhh. I also will be moving to like the Midlands rather than Kent and I'll be somewhat closer to my bf so hehehe

This account is pretty ????? Just my brain with no filter I think. I have other accounts like

@cinnapmoroll my cinna blog and aesthetics owo , @zekeysir my snk blog !! , @beigealicia my cottagecore n cozy n slight writeblr :)))

Um so I have a lot of things I'm vvvvv into,, ima list some of my main things that make me literally buzz and like if mentioned I will get too excited and like go off.

- Sanrio ( specifically cinna ) , Pokémon ( HUGE comfort ) , Winnie the Pooh , Yugioh ( DM ) , Fire Emblem , Clannad ,,, these are just to name a few,,,

What type of music do I listen to ? I love a lot of bedroom music , indie artists , taeyeon , lofi ,video game soundtracks, future bass,jpop,classical and like throwback emo tunes. My fave artists as of rn are the 1975 , harry styles , wallows , Finneas, tøp , marc indigo , the honeysticks , cy8er, moe shop , inlvwithaghost ,surfaces , khai dreams and atwood :)))

I do enjoy cosplaying ! But more as a fun hobby for myself rather than posting it all online :))I would really love to Cosplay Hilda from fire emblem? I think I'm veryyyy similar to her.

yeah I'm defo a Hilda kinnie , I love her ! :)))

for my future I would really lov to just be doing something with my art ,, Idk ,,, comics maybe or childrens books. I'm working on it !!! I don't think there's much to say about me more before I start looking too self absorbed ( more than I am ) so thank u for reading !! I love making friends so hmu although I'm so bad at replying on tumblr so u can always hmu on instagram @ Plutinya or snapchat @ rikokagamine (dontjudge oc from like my baby years ) or discord @ cinnababy alicia#4404 xoxo

Song Recommendations :))

#alicia.txt #long post #jude.txt #introduction

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sug4rsweet · 3 months

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The “Queen of Collabs”—Kaori Takahashi Collaborates with Artists from Psy to Namie Amuro

September 20th, 2013

by E. Cha

With the release of her chart-topping sophomore album Sweet 18, Takahashi is on the top of her game at the moment, and it’s only been 21 months since she first made her debut. The idol’s second album has sold much more than her first, selling over 600,000 copies, and it’s slated to place within the top three of Oricon’s end of the year albums chart, in comparison to the top ten placement Takahashi’s self-title achieved. Her newest single, “Black Night,” became her biggest hit to date, debuting atop the Oricon singles chart and becoming Takahashi’s first No. 1 single. It became the most downloaded song in Japan, and even saw success in America, managing to score a place on the Billboard Hot 100 (her second Hot 100 single so far). And with that level of success, it’s no surprise that other major artists are clamoring to collaborate with her.

The first collaboration to be released was a major one. A remix of Psy’s mega hit “Gangnam Style,” (which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100) the track was released in June, and its subsequent success cut rather close to that of the original. It garnered two number ones on the Billboard charts, one on the Hot Dance/Electronic chart, and another on the World Digital Song Sales chart. It also debuted at No. 6 on the U.S. Digital Song Sales chart, found itself atop the Oricon charts, and placed at No. 5 on Gaon. Within a mere month, the remix’s music video has also garnered viral status. As of now, it has nearly 90 million views on YouTube, and it’s currently tied with “Black Night” as Takahashi’s most viewed music video. The MV didn’t go viral on the song alone, however. Netizens in South Korea fell in love with Takahashi’s bold makeup, her claw-like nails, and wacky, 2000s-esque hairstyles, with some comparing her to 2NE1’s Dara. There was even a name coined for her style of makeup on Naver, “starliner,” and the trend has gotten so big that it’s spread to England. There was also a scene in the MV of her blowing bubblegum, and since it was the thumbnail, Korean netizens began calling her “Bubble Girl.” Additionally, critics have heaped acclaim on the “Gangnam Style” remix, praising Takahashi for her energetic and unique delivery of her lines, as well as for the versatility in her voice.

The story behind this legendary collaboration is pretty cut and dry, as Takahashi and Psy met at last year’s VMAs. The former’s label, Avex Trax, was quick to push for a collaboration, and due to her status as one of Japan’s fastest rising stars, Psy’s label—YG Entertainment—was just as quick to agree. Takahashi was originally supposed to feature on a remix of “Gentleman,” but she insisted on a remix of “Gangnam Style” instead, as she already had a verse written. And it seems like that change was for the best. An interesting thing, however, is how Takahashi initially believed that there wasn’t going to be a music video for the remix. However, Avex informed her that YG had agreed to one a day before she was set to fly back to Japan. And so, Takahashi remained in Korea for three more days (she was initially there to record her lines), and what is possibly the best music video of 2013 was created.

The second and most recent collaboration to be released was one with South Korea’s very own AKB48 and Flowerbank Entertainment’s most successful girl group, Allume. Released earlier this month, “Cinderella” was also a smash hit, and is probably the most beloved collaboration that Takahashi’s ever done. The gothic concept and traditional J-idol feel of the music video was a favorite among both critics and fans, and Takahashi’s increasingly improving vocal ability saw the most praise, with critics adored how well her voice paired with the members of Allume. And, of course, the track’s commercial performance was just as good. “Cinderella” debuted atop the Oricon chart and found itself at No. 2 on Gaon. It even saw success in the United States, cracking into the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart at a rather high No. 19. With over 6 million views on YouTube, the track has been trending for the past few weeks, and it’s reportedly been playing across Tokyo and Seoul ever since its release.

Takahashi met Flowerbank’s mega girl group at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards, shortly after Marisol and youngest member Analise stated their love for her music. Even though Takahashi and Allume got along well, there was no collaboration planned or even mentioned in passing. However, as Takahashi and Avex were discussing bonus tracks from Sweet 18 to possibly release, she brought up what was originally an unreleased demo, the track formally known as “Chandelier” and what would become “Cinderella.” Since it was a demo, though, the track was unfinished and “empty.” Takahashi, ever the one to take control of her career, suggested Allume as a possible collaboration, as she believed that more than one additional voice would make the song sound fuller. Both Avex and Flowerbank agreed on a collaboration, as Takahashi needed more international exposure, and although Allume was already popular in Japan, more Japanese fans wouldn’t hurt.

Like the “Gangnam Style” remix, behind the scenes of the “Cinderella” MV was posted to Takahashi’s YouTube channel, showing just how much fun she and the Allume girls got along, and there were some truly notable moments between her, Marisol, and Analise. And just a few days ago, Takahashi stated that a live performance of “Cinderella” is in the works, sparking excitement among both fandoms. She also said that she would love for Allume to perform with her during her upcoming tour, and we can only wait and see and hope that it’ll happen.

Even after two major collaborations, Takahashi still isn’t done. Her upcoming single “Telephone” is an exciting one, as she’s set to collaborate with J-pop legend and her biggest inspiration Namie Amuro. The song is reportedly a quintessential 2010s EDM track, topped with the dark concept that was all over Sweet 18. She’s also collaborating with western artists such as Cobra Starship, Ke$ha, David Guetta, The Cataracs, and will.i.am. The first is set to be on the band’s lead single off of their debut album, “You Make Me Feel…” It’s a truly star-studded lineup that shows just how big Takahashi has gotten in the span of just a year and a half, and it’s clear she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She’s said that she wants to collaborate with as many artists as she can, so we can’t wait to see what she has in store!

allume belongs to @venusvity + @flwrbankent !

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sug4rsweet · 4 months

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TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM … THE TEEN IDOL TO END ALL TEEN IDOLS … KAORI.

VOGUE JAPAN … JUNE 2013 ISSUE.

How do you feel about your sudden massive success in the music industry? What’s it like and how exactly do you deal with it?

Kaori hummed, appearing deep in thought. “It’s definitely a surprise!” She exclaimed with a laugh. “I mean, I was already pretty popular before, but the music industry is obviously very competitive. Even the most famous of celebrities have trouble breaking into the market. So being met with such support—especially right after my debut—was definitely shocking. Like, I heard that I charted higher than Namie Amuro. That is… insane.”

“And what’s it like? It gave me a lot of whiplash, that’s for sure.” Kaori burst into laughter yet again, pushing her hair from her face. “I flew to New York last month, and there were actually people there who wanted to photograph me! There were some of my fans there, too, and they gave me gifts and asked for my autograph. It’s definitely a bit overwhelming and it’ll take some getting used to, but I’m just grateful that I get to experience this. I don’t think that it’ll ever click that I’m actually a celebrity now.”

How was the recording process of Sweet 18 and how did it differ from your debut album?

“Oh, I had a lot of creative control when it came to this album.” Kaori answered, pride in her voice. “I pushed a lot for a more rock focused sound for this album, in addition to the electropop that you guys heard on my first record. Of course, I had a huge say in the styling and aesthetic for Sweet 18, but the best part was definitely getting to write a lot of the tracks on the album! I also had a hand in composing about… three tracks? And that was especially fun since I haven’t done something like that in three years now.”

Kaori laughed. She was doing quite a lot of that. “Obviously, there’s a huge difference.” She said. “I got to put a lot more time into the intricacies of the album, rather than watching my label do everything for me, you know? It was definitely exciting being able to get so involved in my own work.”

Who are your musical influences, especially at this moment?

“Namie Amuro always!” Kaori exclaimed, excitement instantly lighting up her face. “She’s such a dynamic artist, and her music has been a part of my life since forever. Her longevity really makes me want to make this career of mine last as long as possible.”

“Right now, though?” She continued. “Definitely Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Kesha, and Lady Gaga. I also really look up to artists such as Joan Jett. The first four definitely inspire my more electropop sound, and I always looked to them when I was working on the ‘feel’ of Sweet 18. Of course, Joan Jett was the inspiration for the rock side of the album. Nirvana and Kiss were also some influences, but I leaned more towards Joan. She’s entirely too cool and I love women in rock!”

What do you expect to do in the future, and what would you like to say to your fans?

“I would really like to sell out a stadium or two internationally!” Kaori answered. “That might be a little too ambitious, though, so I can shoot for Tokyo Dome for right now. I would also like to do more international activities and collaborations, as that would give me a chance to interact with more of my fans. And I need to attend Fashion Week at least once.”

The 18-year-old laughed. “And to my fans!” She exclaimed. “Thank you so much for supporting me! I love you so much, and I promise to return the favor tenfold! Please stick around and expect a lot of great things, you guys! Kaori loves you!”

For more, visit www.vogue.co.jp

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sug4rsweet · 4 months

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[ SWEET 18 ♡ THE SECOND ALBUM ! ]

— SWEET 18 is the SECOND full album by KAORI TAKAHASHI, released by AVEX TRAX on april 19th, 2013. even more of a success than her debut album, it sold over 700,000 copies within its first week, and was declared the SECOND HIGHEST SELLING album of 2013 in japan, beating out established artists such as EXILE, B’Z, NMB48, and NAMIE AMURO, and placing her four places higher on the ORICON charts in comparison to 2012. the album’s success made KAORI one of the most talked about singers of the year, and further established her as a serious recording artist and true pop icon.

— TRACKLIST !

BLACK NIGHT ! LEAD SINGLE

WHO THAT GIRL

POP DIVA ! SECOND SINGLE

(DO YOU THINK I’M) TYPICAL / ~典型的な~ ! THIRD SINGLE

TALKIN’ 2 MYSELF ! SPECIAL SINGLE

NANA / ~ナナ~

MIX ‘N MATCH

JUMPIN’

RING THE ALARM

DIAMOND (FEAT. HATSUNE MIKU / 初音ミク)

GORGEOUS GIRL (SUTEKINA ON’NANOKO) / ~素敵な女の子~

HANDS UP ! FOURTH SINGLE

ROUND ‘N ROUND ! FIFTH SINGLE

GENERATION (ATARASHĪ NO GENERATION) / ~新しいのGENERATION~ ! SIXTH SINGLE

— STYLING !

dark and edgy and cool all over !

and ofc kaori had a hand in it !

the y2k inspiration was still there bc what would kaori be without it, but it was clearly a lot darker to fit the theme of the album

there was a lot of leather, latex, and lace used this era ! a lot of corset tops and matching sets too,, like kaori was truly going for her that early 2000s pop / rock girl feel with this one

there were some early 2010s futurism thrown in the styling, as well ! lots of angular shoulder pads jshdjdk

the use of designer labels was definitely kicked up a notch, too ! kaori was in alexander mcqueen, versace, givenchy, miss sixty, archive tom ford,, like they truly went all out !

not too many bright colors during this era, either,, mainly red, black, purple, white, and occasionally shades of blue were used

her highlights were surprisingly not that bright this era ! she had blonde ones at the start, and we got the return of her purple highlights from the vmas,, her hair also had blue tips at the end of the year, which was cool !

and, yes, it caused another trend sjwijsjs like girl it was ALL over japanese social media,, gyarus were eating it UP

like it started a challenge too ! we love an influencer !

although the styling was darker, there were still a lot of elements present that we saw during the self title era ! rhinestones, fake tattoos, star motifs, body glitter, piercings, dyed eyebrows, rhinestones on her eyebrows, fingerless gloves,,

kaori even got a lip piercing, which caused (another) lil trend !

the piercing was fake though, so 😭

her makeup was very kesha inspired during this era, as well ! lots of glitter and rhinestones on her eyes, as well as sort of “smudged” eyeshadow, huge brightly colored and glittery stars / lightning bolts drawn around her eyes, and dark, smoky, almost messy eyeliner

her nails were so cute, too ! they had rhinestones and animal print and all these metallic elements,, and they were also very sharp swjsiwije

also ! kaori’s style finally got a name ! the media started dubbing it “kao-kei,” and the term eventually made its way to gyaru forums where gals who recreated kaori’s fashion were dubbed “kaogyaru” or “kao-gals !”

and a lot of gyarus LOVED the style bc a. it reminded them of namie, b. it was a lil nostalgic since it resembled ganguro and old school kogyaru, c. it was a combo of a bunch of different styles, and d. it kind of brought back tanning a bit, which was going out of style by the 2010s !

btw, kaori also developed a bit of an obsession with mainframe sunglasses during this era ! like she was wearing them in at least 3 of her mvs MSNKDJ

all in all, the styling for this era was phenomenal and everyone loved it MSNKSJ

— ERA HIGHLIGHTS !

oh god SO much happened this era

like when i tell you kaori was everywhere I MEAN IT !

this album truly made her pop star level like,, her debut showed that she had potential but this really reinforced it !

she was quite literally the most searched singer in japan ALONE, and she placed pretty damn high in the states,, like she was truly a big deal !

the lead single was HUGE ! it sold over 100,000 (!!!) units within its first week and debuted at no. 69 on the billboard hot 100, becoming kaori’s second consecutive entry on the chart ! here’s the thing, though, “black night” actually became her first ever no. 1 hit !

it debuted at no. 1 on the oricon charts, and girl kaori was floored once she found out msnkwkdk

it stayed there for a full month, too !

the promo during this era was crazy !

kaori had TWO full tv specials on both music station and gma, and everyone loved them ! she was greeting fans, and the specials were quite literally a taste of what the tour would be SMKJD like the energy, choreography, and stage presence were off the charts

and you could tell that kaori had been working on her vocals ! like that voice was CLEAR !

she even performed at the warped tour sjsmkejdj and her set was super fun bc there were a lot of her fans there (her aussie fans were so blessed like kaori already went there during her tour smjejdj) ! and the crowd favorite was def “black night” at both her gma special and her warped tour set,, like that song took OVER radio stations

and oh my god kaori finally got a vogue cover ! the concept was SO COOL like it was inspired by female rock icons such as joan jett and debbie harry, as well as by ayumi hamasaki and koda kumi !

she had a bunch of collabs this era, too !

i won’t spoil them here bc they truly deserve their own post, but all of them were so so good, believe me SMKSKDJ

another interesting thing was kaori’s endorsements this era jsiwks she became the face of shiseido due to them sponsoring her tour, but she also became the face of pepsi of all companies ! her campaigns were so britney inspired, and she had a commercial in japan that was quite literally EVERYWHERE

and they put her face on the cans ! (only in japan though </3)

she also became the face of luminous change, and she was all over shibuya billboards, on posters outside of 109, and on the packaging BSNSKM

kaori also had promo for something else, but that will be revealed in due time !

and and and ! she ALSO had a capsule collection with the gyaru brand jsg ! like the pieces were inspired off of kaori’s personal style, and damn did it sell skhdjdjdk like gals were truly all over it

her promos were mainly focused on the states, but she still had time to promote in korea ! like she was actually a guest mc for m countdown this time (for like. 3 days 😭), and she appeared on weekly idol with 15& ! and ofc kaori KILLED it like we all know she’s hilarious

her tour began in august, and my god the amount of celebs that came SKIWSJS

allume came ! like kaori’s bestest industry friends wbk ! minzy and cl came, as well as western celebs such as taylor swift and kesha !

the tour was so fun and so theatrical,, like it was probably kaori’s most acclaimed tour to date (and her longest girl whew MSNSJKD),, there was also added dates in china and some areas in japan bc demand was HIGH !

and oh my god “black night” was used as the first opening for tokyo ghoul ??? and “talkin’ 2 myself” was literally used as one of the endings of death note,, of all animes !

like girl kaori was ECSTATIC ! she was literally that huge !

but y’all know what the coolest thing was ??? when “talkin’ 2 myself” was released as a special single, the music video was animated !

like literally in the style of death note too,, they made kaori into a death note character SMSJS

she had a lil interview in mexico, and she had a set at lollapalooza chile,, she was also on the covers of quite a lot of magazines ! vivi, woofin’ girl, nylon, l’officiel, marie claire,, like you could literally not escape her during this era sjiwjdndn

all in all, very eventful era ! like sweet 18 truly made her a superstar (at only 18, by the way), and she literally became thee teen idol back then ! she was dominating charts, everyone loved her,, it was just great ♡

allume ofc belongs to @alllume / @venusvity ! ♡

#🍬 … KAORI !#ALBUMS !#DISCOGRAPHY !#fictional idol community #jpop oc #jpop oc soloist #koc soloist #kpop oc #kpop oc soloist #kpop solo artist #kpop soloist #jpop solo artist #kpop female soloist #koc #fake idol #fake jpop idol #fake kpop idol #fictional idol soloist #fictional idol oc

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sug4rsweet · 5 months

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YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME?

YOU DON’T.

… COMING APRIL 19, 2013.

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sug4rsweet · 5 months

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[ KIMBERLEY ♡ THE PRE-DEBUT SINGLE ALBUM ]

— KIMBERLEY is the first PRE-DEBUT single album by KIMBERLEY TAKAHASHI, released by DISNEY and HOLLYWOOD RECORDS on october 9th, 2009. although not selling as much as expected, the album was still quite the success, selling a little over 90,000 copies in its first week. the lack of promotions have made KIMBERLEY a largely unremarkable record among most fans, and it fell into obscurity only months after it was released. as a result, no one—not even KAORI herself—considers this as her actual debut. additionally, it was also meant to precede a full album that would serve as her debut, but due to internal conflicts, the album in question was eventually shelved completely and its release was canceled. however, some demos from it still exist.

— TRACKLIST !

TRUTH OR DARE ! LEAD SINGLE

INVITATION ! B-SIDE

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER

— SONG TRIVIA !

the lead single “TRUTH OR DARE” was initially for the SHAKE IT UP soundtrack, which was still in development at the time of the track’s recording. executives decided to have kaori record other tracks for the show, and chose to save “TRUTH OR DARE” for something else, which ended up being kaori’s debut single

“HAPPILY NEVER AFTER” was the opening for a DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE that kaori had starred in, which premiered a few months prior to the release of KIMBERLEY. the track was recorded in early 2009—shortly after filming for the movie wrapped—and it was recorded specifically for the film

“INVITATION” was the only track on KIMBERLEY that was recorded specifically for the album

— STYLING !

this is painfully late 2000s but you can kinda get it !

you can tell that the styling for this era was a precursor to what we would get 3 years later, as in it had a lot of kaori’s personal style incorporated into it !

back then, she was less gyaru and more scene, and it really showed

lots of skirts, bright colored leggings, doc marten’s, plaid prints, ruffles, ripped stockings, colored hoop earrings, jeans, belts, rock elements, layered shirts, fingerless gloves, the occasional hair bow, etc !

and this was the start of her signature highlights ! bright and chunky ofc sjiwjsj

disney obviously had a stylist for kaori to keep up with that “tween, scene avril lavigne” image they had going for her, but she def had a hand in a few things !

like if she’s appealing to tween girls, then ofc the tween girl in question would know what her audience wants !

and speaking of tween girls, they ate this styling UP,, like kaori was brightly colored and a lil girly but she was also cool and tomboyish ! like kaori’s look truly appealed to everyone

even though this album wasn’t the major smash hit that disney thought it would be, kaori still caused a micro trend ! like there were quite a few girls dying their hair to make it resemble kaori’s and wearing lil hair bows wkjsjsiwijs

kaori’s makeup was pretty minimal this era,, like they mainly used bright eyeshadow, glitter, a few rhinestones, and maybe some lipgloss but that was it SKIWJSJ like she was literally 14

but still ! very cute and it was def the “baby version” of her makeup during her debut era

all in all dated but adorable ! we love a mini scene queen !

— ERA HIGHLIGHTS !

oh girl this album’s promotions lasted like 3 seconds BSMJSKS

in september, kaori announced on her myspace that she was releasing a single album, and ofc her fans were elated !

it wasn’t a full album, but it was still music so !

the album dropped on the same day as “truth or dare,” and the single’s mv actually premiered on disney channel, and—get this—myspace

so 2009 !

it did. okay on the billboard charts ! “truth or dare” debuted at no. 90 on the billboard hot 100, and the album itself didn’t debut on the bb200 at all sjwujsj probably bc it was a single album unfortunately

however, the single was smashing away on radio disney and itunes ! it debuted at no. 2 on radio disney and it even managed to debut at no. 1 on itunes ! it stayed there for a hot min (and i do mean a hot min MSNWJJSJS) before dropping to no. 6, and it eventually fell off the charts completely. unfortunately jsiwjsjs

shortly after, kaori went on radio disney as one of what was supposed to be many promos 😭 but we’ll get to that later SWIHKDJD

but she had fun ! it was her first time on an actual radio show, and she was there to promote her own music,, like she sounded so giddy the entire time sjwijsjks

a few weeks later she was on good morning america to perform “truth or dare” and “invitation,” and the interview was cute ! like she got to talk about the writing process that went into each track (bc, yes, she did write all 3 songs !), and she was also asked about which jonas brother she liked ???

like girl she likes girls this is awks SJWIJS

but she said nick and till this day she still doesn’t know why 😭

she performed on ell*n and had a lil interview there, did a photo shoot with teen vogue (which was so cute ! like it was all sleepover themed mhm), did a campaign with covergirl (!!!), and then kaori went straight to newark in november to open for miley cyrus’ wonder world tour

and that was so fun ! like she was surprised at how many people cheered for her even though she was also on hannah montana SKIWJSJ

during day 2, she and miley performed “potential breakup song” ! like absolute fan favorite everyone ate it up

but then after that, promotions just. stopped ???

like kaori was supposed to perform at the macy’s thanksgiving parade, but it was canceled bc flying to newark, performing, then flying back to la ofc took a lot out of her

she told fans that she would be back eventually, but then nothing happened 😭

kaori flew back to new york, and that was literally all she wrote

now, shortly after 2010 began, kaori finally came back to the internet ! she explained on her blog (which was no longer on myspace </3) that she took some time off to go back to school, and doing so made her want to do music again !

she said that she was writing new songs, and that she was flying back to la in february to record ! and the girls were ecstatic !

the flying back to la and recording did in fact happen, but a few months passed and like. there was no album ???

eventually disney went all “yeah the album got delayed y’all will probably get it in 2011” when it was supposed to be released at the end of 2010 like girl ! and then kaori confirmed that so everyone had no choice but to just wait unfortunately </3

in the middle of this absolute mess, kaori actually went to the kcas, the premiere of a film she was in, and the mtv movie awards, so it’s not like she completely disappeared !

but girl then she did 😭

2011 came, nothing. january ended, nothing. then we got to MARCH, and still, absolutely nothing ! like it was complete radio silence from both kaori AND disney

then in may, we finally got something ! it was kaori coming back online to say that she had actually gone back to japan to attend high school, straight up LEFT disney and hollywood records, and that the release of her album had been canceled

LIKE 😭

since she was (understandably !) stressed out and tired that hollywood records kept pushing back her album, she just decided to go back home and focus on school and her skating career

and as she should ! bc why was kaori getting the sonamoo treatment ???

disney ended up confirming that, and obviously kaori’s fans were a lil peeved !

however ! kaori later said that she planned to continue her acting career and was still looking to release music, and ofc, we all know that did happen !

so with the release of “treat me,” the pre-debut era that lasted for exactly 2 months came to a very weird end </3

but whatever happened to those demos ???

well. 2 of them were actually leaked online in 2013 WKNSKSM (“MASTERPIECE” and “SUDDENLY” ! the former was actually used for a commercial that aired on disney channel in 2008 !) but in 2018, kaori managed to buy back the rights to her unreleased album, and released remastered versions of literally every single track onto youtube !

we were finally able to hear what the album would’ve sounded like,, 8 years later SKJDSJ

and apparently, it was supposed to be titled DON’T TELL ! the amount of people who heard the demos and KNEW that it was going to be an incredible album,, losing her was truly a tragedy

— ADDITIONAL TRIVIA !

during kaori’s time at disney (which began in 2004 after a bit part in CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN), she contributed to the soundtracks of many television shows and original movies in addition to her acting work

the first soundtrack she contributed to was the HANNAH MONTANA soundtrack, of which she had a recurring role on starting in 2006. she assisted in writing songs such as “ROCK STAR” and “PUMPING UP THE PARTY,” and sang demos for some, which includes the former and “IF WE WERE A MOVIE”

kaori worked on the soundtracks of other pieces of disney media, including THE PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM, 16 WISHES, CAMP ROCK, and SHAKE IT UP. she even managed to contribute to the VICTORIOUS soundtrack, assisting in the writing and composition, and singing the demo for “SICK OF YOU,” a track that ended up being sung by victoria justice on the show

although kaori didn’t pursue a music career too seriously during her time at disney, she still did quite a lot music wise while there. as a result, she’s been retrospectively dubbed “DISNEY’S UNDERRATED PRINCESS OF POP,” especially since her first original body of work was unfortunately largely forgotten

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sug4rsweet · 4 months

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[ KAORI ♡ LIGHTSTICKS ! ]

— OVER the course of KAORI’s 12-year career, she has had a total of TWO lightsticks released. she is currently the only japanese solo artist to have a lightstick of her own, making KAORI even more unique within the japanese music industry. her lightsticks have frequently been the topic of conversation across many interviews within the japanese media.

GEN ONE :: THE ORIGINAL !

conceptualized in 2013, what would be known as the “KAO-BONG” was released in february 2015, a day after KAORI’s 20th birthday. the lightstick was met with positive reception from fans, who were surprised that KAORI was receiving an actual lightstick. the original was rather simple in its design and functions (it only had two colors, which were KAORI’s official ones), so the selling point for fans was mainly the box that it came in. it had a sleek, cylindrical design and was painted black and pink. the top was heart-shaped, referring to how both KAORI’s birthday and the lightstick’s release fell close to valentine’s day. additionally, it was rather rare to receive a photocard alongside the lightstick, and owning an original is now a bragging point amongst fans. a lot of memes also popped up during the first generation’s heyday, with fans joking about how the lightstick was so big that it could be used as a weapon.

at some point, KAORI began to dislike the black color palette of the original, and requested for a newer version of the KAO-BONG to reflect her newer image. however, the original still has a special place in her heart, and she appreciates all the love her fans had given it.

— INCLUDES !

A HAND WRITTEN “THANK YOU” CARD !

3 STICKERS !

A PIN !

A WRIST STRAP (IN EITHER BLACK OR PINK) !

2 DOUBLE A BATTERIES !

A PHOTOCARD (POSSIBLY) !

GEN TWO :: THE BELOVED !

released on valentine’s day 2020, fans were quick to express how much they adored the design upgrade, selling over 800,000 units within its first week. fans were pleased to see that AVEX kept the 3D aspect of the original KAO-BONG, and were thrilled to see the reflective effect that the new one had. the box it came in was unique in its design, and further added to the love fans had for the lightstick’s second generation. rather than standing upright like many lightstick boxes, the box for the KAO-BONG 2.0 laid horizontally. baby pink, shaped like a heart, and printed with gold text, it was meant to look like a heart-shaped box of chocolates—something that you would actually receive on valentine’s day. the lightstick was encased in a mold and surrounded by pink paper, which really made it look like chocolate.

the lightstick itself was chocked full of new functions. once you powered it on, it would light up from the base upwards, almost as if it was filling the lightstick. it came with a myriad of different modes and colors, as well as bluetooth recognition, but there were two functions that really stole the show. when the power button was held, the “K” inside the heart would spin, causing the light to display every color at once. that (along with other functions) could also be triggered with voice recognition, which was particularly exciting to fans. additionally, like the photocard in the first generation KAO-BONG, getting a candy heart wrist strap for the second generation was rare, and you would often see fans begging for one across social media.

definitely KAORI’s most commercially successful lightstick so far, the second generation is a favorite amongst fans, and a personal favorite of KAORI herself. although some fans want to see a third generation, most agree that this one simply cannot be topped.

— INCLUDES !

A HAND WRITTEN (+ SIGNED, PREORDER ONLY) VALENTINE’S DAY CARD !

3 HAND DRAWN STICKERS !

3 CANDY HEART PINS !

A PEN !

A POSTCARD !

A WRIST STRAP (POSSIBLY THE CANDY HEART VERSION) !

2 DOUBLE A BATTERIES !

1 OF 3 RANDOM PHOTOCARDS (POSSIBLY 2) !

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sug4rsweet · 4 months

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“ SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO LOVE YOU, HATE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF THEIR BEING, LEAVING YOU TO QUESTION YOUR VERY EXISTENCE? ”

a character study on … KAORI TAKAHASHI.

format inspired by @d3caynluv ! ♡

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sug4rsweet · 5 months

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[ KAORI AT THE … VMAS / MAMAS 2012 ! ]

ah, end of the year award shows. a time when iconic performances make history, friendships can be forged, and unnecessary drama can make people—artists and fans alike—tear at each other’s throats. of course, as a rookie, KAORI attended as many as she could, ready to perform and hoping to snag an award or two. so, come along and see what happened on those fateful nights !

STYLING !

left :: vmas ! right :: mamas !

it’s no surprise that she looked good !

like before, the styling was kept rather simple, but ofc kaori’s team still did an incredible job !

they carried on the theme for the tour but pulled out ALL the stops for award szn ! like they literally had her in archive versace

kaori went kinda viral for the lil purple number she wore to the vmas even !

but she made waves with her makeup ! ofc she was covered in her signature rhinestones that her stylist shaped into stars and her star tattoos AND she had these lil holographic stars and glitter on her eyes that matched the colors of her dresses,,

like too cute mhm !

kaori’s hair was kept pretty simple for both award shows, but it was still adorable

for the vmas her hair was kept in this messy bun, but she had purple highlights in that matched the color of her dress !

for the mamas her hair was kept straight but a part of it was up in this lil pouf ! she also kept her regular multicolored highlights bc there was a LOT of yellow going on shdksksj

kaori’s stage costumes had a lot of 90s inspo, plus the military theme from her tour

she had costume changes for BOTH award shows, but we’ll get into that later WIDMSJD

AWARDS !

VMAS !

BEST NEW ARTIST (WON !)

BEST POP VIDEO … TREAT ME

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY … TREAT ME

MOST SHARE-WORTHY VIDEO … TREAT ME (WON !)

MAMAS !

BEST NEW FEMALE ARTIST (WON !)

BEST NEW ASIAN ARTIST (WON !)

BEST STYLE IN MUSIC (WON !)

PERFORMANCES !

VMAS !

at the vmas, KAORI was only allowed to perform one song, which ended up being her debut single, “TREAT ME.” the performance began with KAORI strutting to center stage in sync with the song’s intro, accompanied by a group of female dancers. right before the first verse, the rest of her dancers join her. KAORI is wearing a WHITE two piece ensemble, and noticeably doesn’t have a mic in her hand, opting for a headpiece instead.

as she sings, KAORI walks around the stage, smiling and interacting with the crowd before rejoining her dancers for the chorus. she jumps around during it, encouraging the crowd to dance. right before the song’s outro, KAORI’s white two piece gets ripped off to reveal a BLUE lace up one, and a dance break starts.

following the dance break, KAORI struts down the runway and hypes up the crowd some more. towards the end, her dancers run up to join her on the secondary stage, and they perform one last move before getting into their final positions. KAORI, proving that she’s singing live, screams the last “SO COME ON” into her headpiece just as the song ends.

now this performance had people TALKING ! so many critics were saying it came shockingly close to britney’s performance at the vmas 2000 ! of all performances !

ofc it was a bit simple but a. she was only allowed to perform one song, b. the stage was pretty small, and c. it was her first vmas performance !

a lot of people were calling her costume change the best part, and others said that it was impressive that she was dancing and singing at the same time, especially since there had been a decline of those types of artists in western music in the early 2010s 😭

and kaori was trending for a MINUTE after this ! like ooooouuu new fans alert !

MAMAS !

in comparison to her performance at the vmas, which was a little over 4 minutes long, KAORI’s performance at the mamas was 6 minutes long. subtitled “THE ONLY GIRL / WELCOME TO THE PARTY,” the performance begins with a marching style dance intro performed by her dancers, before they suddenly stop. the intro to “TRY ME” begins playing, and KAORI appears on a raised platform wearing a WHITE naval styled costume, and notably holding her signature white handheld mic this time.

she performs choreography with her dancers for about a minute, before everything transitions into “TREAT ME.” KAORI walks down the stairs of the platform and onto the main stage, walking around and hyping the crowd like she always does. 2 minutes into the song, KAORI hands her mic to a dancer, a dance break starts. in the middle of it, her uniform gets taken off to reveal a RED cropped ensemble, and she takes off her hat and throws it to the side. following the dance break and during the buildup into the song’s outro, KAORI screams “LET ME HEAR YOU, MAMA !” (and in english) in place of her regular “MAKE SOME NOISE.”

at the end, KAORI returns to the platform she first appeared on, performing the last move with her dancers and getting into her final position. her dancers are spread out down the stairs, making it look like they��re almost covering the entire stage. like before, KAORI screams her last line, which—at that point—had become another signature of hers.

oh girl this was the performance of the NIGHT !

kaori had to kick it up a notch since she was allowed to perform more than one song, and she had such a fun time up there !

ofc the costume change was one of the main talking points afterwards,, like she was one of the top searches on naver bc she truly came out the gate SWINGING !

and when i say kaori switched costumes in the middle of the dance break, i MEAN it

you know those lil “pauses” in the dance break in hyuna’s “change” or in the one in that 2006 live performance of namie amuro’s “alarm” ??? think that !

and her lil “thank you” at the end of the performance,, she was getting all shy SECONDS after she tore that stage up !

but truly kaori ruled that night,, the “baby amuro” nickname was indeed warranted !

BEST MOMENTS / INTERACTIONS !

VMAS !

y’all she had a BLAST that night !

like girl she interacted with so many western celebs it was truly insane

the second most fan favorite moment that night was definitely when kaori literally got a standing ovation from the celebs in the crowd !

she was shocked asl girl like her eyes widened she put a hand to her chest sjmskdk she was practically asking if it was for her like

girl OFC it is ! BSMJSKSJ

she truly had to take some time to process that like i can’t emphasize enough that she was literally a ROOKIE !

before her performance, though, kaori was asked last minute to present best male video and she went “???? girl are you sure ??? idk what the hell i’m doing” WEJSWJ

and she literally said that WHILE PRESENTING ! just said “i have no clue as to why i’m up here” like she is actually hilarious !

she was up there with demi lovato and rita ora though ! and her interaction with demi was insane bc they talked backstage and kaori was literally raving abt don’t forget like truly that album was her shit at 13

they bonded over the fact that they were both on disney too ! they took a lil picture like just had a great time

kaori was truly the social butterfly of the night bc she was taking pictures with EVERYONE !

she took one with rihanna and literally could not stop fangirling over her, she took one with nicki minaj and could not stop fangirling over her EITHER !

she took one with p!nk (that photo literally went down in history), miley cyrus, katy perry,, like she actually told katy that “i kissed a girl” changed her life and girl. she wasn’t kidding !

she took a picture with emma watson, green day,, like bonbons LOVE that green day pic they bring it up every time someone mentions unreal interactions between jpop / kpop stars and western celebs 😭

like literally she managed to get a damn picture with GREEN DAY !

and girl don’t get me started on the photo she took with robert pattinson and taylor lautner,, tell me why she captioned it “i’m team #edcob” LIKE ?????

a lesbian saying that is CRAZY !

she went viral again for that post alone bc she literally coined a ship name ! like tea !

but it all came full circle when kaori took a picture with kesha, one direction, AND taylor swift bc lemme tell you she was the biggest fan of all THREE of them

like the taylor interaction was too cute ! kaori was fangirling and taylor was just being so sweet and they even HUGGED ! like that truly made kaori’s night and u know what’s even better ???

kaori told taylor that speak now was her fav album, and not even a week later she got a signed copy in the mail ! like she was on twitter going NUTS abt it for a solid 10 minutes WJSKWS

luckiest swiftie award goes to her !

but THEE moment of the night was definitely kaori’s interaction with kesha bc she could not contain herself,, like her entire discography up until that point was literally kaori’s bible

and like japan’s own kesha actually interacting with kesha ??? insane !

that photo of them is a bonbon fav,, it truly deserves a place in the louvre atp

AND her interaction with psy ! they were literally dancing to “gangnam style” before they took a photo together like that was actually the best moment of the night idc !

but the true best moment of the night ?? when she won best new artist !

kaori had already won an award at the pre-show, but to win one at the main show was actually crazy,, like she didn’t even expect that girl !

she went up there just shocked and absolutely stunned,, like during the first half of her acceptance speech she was all giddy and excited, but then she began thanking her mom and she almost, ALMOST started crying

and yes her mom was there ! kaori gave her the biggest hug afterwards like it was just so sweet

all in all, an absolutely amazing night like girl kaori had so much fun and bonbons were so happy for her !

AND her friends were watching from japan too ♡

also every time kaori was on the big screen she was having a BALL like,, she was absolutely jamming out to “get the party started,” “girl on fire,” and “we are never ever getting back together” and girl people loved her for that wjsjwsjs

MAMAS !

oooo girl the idol interactions went CRAZY !

kaori was just a bit nervous bc there were so many idols, so many people, and knetz are ruthless but she honestly had just much fun as the vmas !

she was sat next to 2ne1 and allume, and being sat next to both of them had her reeling a lil BNSJSJ

like it took her a min but kaori was making small talk with both groups quite a lot,, she also got minzy and chaelin’s numbers !

she was actually trying to get minzy’s bc they’re closer in age, but minzy went all “unnie she’s trying to get our numbers” and kaori was like “damn okay” 😭

kaori ended up talking to the rest of 2ne1 backstage and ofc they got a picture together ! and girl when i tell u bonbons went INSANE,, they were sitting on twitter absolutely freaking out SMWJS

the first of many surprises !

one of bonbons fav moments of kaori at mama was every time she appeared on the big screen,, like girl she was fucking that “mr. simple” choreo UP

and when she bowed to shinee when they were passing her and the camera caught her with her hand on her heart WJSHSJ

biggest shawol ever tbh !

also ! when she and marisol were dancing to “fantastic baby” ! they barely talked at that point and they were already tight !

kaori was in the crowd going CRAZY to “gangnam style,,” idk she might be the queen of that dance but that’s just me !

that was foreshadowing 😁

and yes she did take a picture with psy,, again SJMSJS

like whew girl she took pictures with so many idols it’s actually insane,, shinee, iu, aoa, f(x), miss a, sistar, wonder girls, snsd, hyuna !

kaori was truly fangirling the ENTIRE time

those interactions with kara, miss a, and soshi were insane ! like the way kaori got the numbers of suzy, hara, sunny, tiffany, AND sooyoung ??? crazy !

she and sooyoung communicated in japanese for bit, and kaori wanted hyoyeon’s number so bad but she was too scared to ask her for it 😭

she did get it eventually though so yay !

it was the same with hyuna too skjwjdjsj poor girl

also a couple years later a bonbon on twitter noted how kaori was only getting the numbers of female idols,,

like okay lesbianism !

and now here comes MY favorite part: kaori meeting allume !

like i said before, she was actually seated next to them the entire night ! outside of small talk, however, they didn’t really interact that much until the end of the show

and when they did get to actually talk, kaori was the one to get their attention !

marisol and analise were SO excited to get to talk to kaori,, especially analise ! those 3 talked for a while jshdjdk

both kaori and analise were on disney too, so they had sumn to bond over !

the other allume girls were,, interesting WIEJJSNS especially yura and jinah like ofc kaori was still polite with them but they didn’t want to get too friendly so kaori just left them alone mostly, especially bc she was so distracted by the other members 😭

like they bowed to each other and kaori and yura talked for a min but that was pretty much it SJWIJS

hyuna was so sweet ! just complimenting kaori and everything like. she was a lil shy but so was kaori like that’s her twin she totally got it wjnsjsjd

kaori lowkey wanted her number but since both of them were kinda reserved it was just like mmmm no BSNISJM

her and eunji talked as well (only for like 5 seconds though 😭) ! like eunji brought up “retro future” and kaori went “omg you know that song ???” and girl that was it,, like marisol got kaori’s attention right after

but yeah marisol and kaori clicked so well ! they were telling each other jokes, chatting up a storm, and taking a whole lot of selfies WMSJK like marisol kept going “your stage was so cool omg !” and kaori kept saying “omg thank you !”

ofc both of them had to leave eventually but before they did, analise NEEDED to take a picture with kaori !

and it was the cutest picture ever ! like girl the height difference was obvious wieujsnsn and they actually took like. 3 different pictures 😭 and in one of them kaori and analise did the gyaru peace sign !

lowkey kaori started the trend 9 years before it actually became a thing !

and right before they left, they managed to squeeze one last picture of kaori and the entire group !

y’all know that weird ass upside down peace sign that people were doing in 2012 / 2013 ??? kaori was doing that in nearly every picture like she could not stop sjuwjsj

also ! marisol and kaori did exchange numbers ! and marisol gave her a hug ! too cute !

another fan favorite moment was when kaori won best new female artist ! like she had literally beat out ailee and aoa of all artists !

ofc she had to thank her mom in her speech, who was also there ! and girl when she thanked her fans there we so many people who cheered for her like she was so surprised that sm of her fans were there bc girl there were mainly kpop stans in that crowd !

like you could visibly SEE the shock on her face when she heard the cheers like

core memory created fr !

all in all it was an incredible night ! kaori had more fun than she expected, and thank god knetz didn’t crucify her SMJWKD

also, the tweet that said she got the numbers of only female idols was kinda lying skiwjsjjs like she got the numbers of a few male idols !

which were taemin, and kai. and that’s pretty much it BSMJSJENS

anyways ! she had fun during awards szn and that’s what matters ♡

allume belongs to the wonderful @alllume ! ♡

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sug4rsweet · 4 months

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[ GET TO KNOW … MAMIKO ! ]

[ BASICS ! ]

BIRTH NAME ! nakamura mamiko

ENGLISH NAME ! michelle sandra takahashi

NICKNAMES ! miko, mimi, shelly

BIRTHDAY ! april 19th, 1967

ZODIAC ! aries

BIRTHPLACE ! nakagawa, nagano, japan

HOMETOWN ! aoyama, tokyo, japan / yanaka, tokyo, japan / new york city, new york

ETHNICITY ! japanese

NATIONALITY ! japanese-american

SEXUALITY ! straight

[ PHYSICAL ! ]

HEIGHT ! 5’5” 1/2 (166 cm)

WEIGHT ! 115 lbs (52 kg)

BLOOD TYPE ! A

PIERCINGS ! none

TATTOOS ! none

[ CLAIMS ! ]

FACE CLAIM ! akina nakamori (soloist)

VOICE CLAIM ! hiromi iwasaki or junko ohashi (soloists / japanese), sophie ellis-bextor (soloist / english)

[ CAREER ! ]

COMPANY ! pony canyon (1985–1991) / victor entertainment (2014–present)

OCCUPATION ! idol, songwriter, actress, television personality, businesswoman, former model, magazine editor, former hostess, socialite

DEBUT DATE ! december 1st, 1982

TRAINEE YEARS ! none

YEARS ACTIVE ! 1982–1991 / 2014–present

FANDOM NAME ! mamicchins

[ BACKGROUND ! ]

NAKAMURA MAMIKO was born on april 19th, 1967 in nakagawa, nagano, japan to NAKAMURA FUMITO and INOUE AKINA. the former owned a small rice farm on the family’s property, while the latter was a waitress turned stay at home mother and seamstress. the nakamura family lived in the countryside of japan in a densely populated area, and due to their parents’ meager jobs, they lived at the poverty line. MAMIKO was the fourth child out of seven, and as she grew, she would have to assist her mother in taking care of her younger siblings or help her father on his farm.

as a child, MAMIKO always had an affinity for music, as she would sing to artists such as MOMOE YAMAGUCHI and DIANA ROSS even as a toddler. despite her interest and participation in her school’s choir, she didn’t make much effort to go into the entertainment industry, as resources weren’t readily available in her small town. in fact, MAMIKO initially wanted to become a neurologist. at the age of 13, she was spotted on the streets of nagoya by a modeling agent, but her parents declined as they wanted her to focus on her studies.

due to nakagawa lacking a high school, MAMIKO and her siblings were forced to attend one in nearby nagoya, which was over thirty minutes away. during her second year, she met FUJITA CHIYAKO, and the two shared a similar passion for music. over the next year, their parents would grow close. chiyako’s father, FUJITA MASASHI, was the president of a moderately large recording company, and wanting to support his daughter’s dream of entering the idol industry (and having knowledge of MAMIKO’s similar aspirations), he put together an idol duo consisting of both girls. called MAMICHI, a combination of their names, the duo debuted on december 1st, 1982 with the single “KŌKŌ NO KAIHŌ.” the single did moderately well, selling a little over 9,000 copies and peaking at number eighty-seven on the ORICON charts. their debut mini album sold even less, selling a mere 6,500 copies.

despite the lack of major success, MAMICHI pushed for as many magazine shoots and interviews as possible, even managing to land the cover of CANCAM with the help of chiyako’s father. they had only four television appearances during their entire career, two being performances on MUSIC FAIR, while one was an interview on a variety show, and another was a christmas special, where they were two of twenty singers who sang the closing song. and the girls didn’t get to sing as individuals. during their parts, they always had to sing together. even with MAMICHI’s determination, however, the duo only had two more “hit” singles and released one final extended play before breaking up for good.

the first was “KAERU NO BABY,” released on march 16th, 1983. the duo’s most successful single and the definition of a “sleeper hit,” the song debuted at number ninety on the ORICON charts before shooting to number sixteen two weeks later. it sold a mere 5,500 copies within its first week, but by the third, it had sold over 20,000. although not a huge success, it was more than enough for MAMIKO and chiyako. the two had their first major performance at a music festival in may, and shortly before, they released their debut solo singles. MAMIKO’s was “WATASHI NO KOKORO NI MUKATTE,” a song in which she helped in the writing of. however, it paled in comparison to chiyako’s single, selling only 2,000 copies and charting at number ninety-six on the ORICON charts; the lowest selling and lowest charting of any singles to come out of MAMICHI. it was vastly overshadowed by chiyako, who had a bubbly, stereotypically “idol” like sound comparable to SEIKO MATSUDA, which was popular with the public at the time. MAMIKO’s own single was only moderately popular for its difficult high note, but even then, that didn’t boost sales, and chiyako still gained more popularity than her.

in september, MAMICHI would release their final single, “YŪGURE NO MONOGATARI.” it was less of a success than their previous single, selling a little over 10,000 copies and charting at number twenty-six. although another EP (which was meant to be named JE T’AIME; someone bought photos of what was supposed to be possible album covers at an auction, and demos of some tracks were leaked to 2CHAN in 2005) was planned for release shortly after, it would never come to fruition. in october, the girls would hold a press conference, with chiyako explaining that she wanted to return to school. their manager would explain that a solo debut for MAMIKO was being discussed, but that, too, would never happen.

due to her lack of popularity, MAMIKO decided that it wouldn’t be in her best interest to begin a serious solo career, and she ended up returning to school, as well. in late 1983, she began modeling at the request of one of her classmates, and subsequently appeared on the covers of magazines such as SISTER, JJ, and even SEVENTEEN. her work as a model got her a few acting gigs in various dramas, all of which unfortunately went nowhere. and in between, MAMIKO would get a regular job at a bank in nagoya, be named first runner-up in that year’s MISS TEEN JAPAN pageant, appear in newspaper advertisements and a few billboards, and would take a school trip to germany.

however, in early 1984, MAMIKO decided to give her idol career one last shot. through a postcard application, she was chosen to compete on the talent show STAR TANJŌ. although she gained recognition through her cover of “THE BOSS” by diana ross, she ended up placing second. despite that, MAMIKO caught the attention of PONY CANYON, and was persuaded by the label to partake in auditions for upcoming idol group, ONYANKO CLUB. she made it through all five days, and on april 1st, 1985, she was introduced as the seventh member of the group. finally, after three years of failed attempts to get her music career off the ground, MAMIKO had made it into what would be one of japan’s highest selling idol groups.

despite ONYANKO’s popularity, MAMIKO herself would never garner a large fanbase of her own amongst the fifty-one other members. although she was rather beloved for her sweet vocals, beauty, and mature personality, her popularity paled in comparison to members such as ERI NITTA or YUKIKO IWAI. she became the leader and front vocalist of the group’s third subgroup, NYANNATSU, which debuted in september 1986. their debut did well (even managing to top the ORICON charts), and shortly after, in november, MAMIKO debuted solo for the second time, releasing “TELL ME” on the 14th. surprisingly, it sold decently, selling over 12,000 copies. however, the single only charted at number nineteen, and her debut EP—KINOSHITA—only sold a little over 9,000 copies. her single was one of the few ONYANKO CLUB singles to not top the charts, and it was the only one to not enter the top ten.

NYANNATSU would release three singles and three albums before ONYANKO’s disbandment in 1987, while MAMIKO would release two more singles and an album, all of which sold lower than its predecessors, although one single—“WATASHI NO PROMISE”—would be used as the ending for a rather popular anime. ONYANKO’s last single—“WEDDING DRESS”—was released in august, and it was the last single MAMIKO was a front vocalist for. following the group’s final concert on september 20th, they disbanded when she was twenty years old.

afterwards, MAMIKO managed to attend college in tokyo on a scholarship, but she was contacted again by PONY CANYON to begin a serious solo career. she accepted their offer, thinking that being a member of ONYANKO CLUB surely boosted her popularity by a bit. she would make her debut in january 1988 with “KOI WA SCANDAL,” and her debut album—RED LADY—would be released a month later. however, despite her hopes, her solo career saw little success. in fact, her acting career seemed to do far better. in late 1988, her first studio album, CATALOG, was released. the resulting single—“AMOUR SANS AMOUR”—did surprisingly well and was the second highest selling single of her career, selling over 13,000 copies and charting at number sixteen. her next single—“ASOBU NO EMOTION”—did slightly better, garnering MAMIKO her first (and, at that point, only) music award at the 1989 JAPAN RECORD AWARDS.

after selling out her first solo concert in the summer of 1989, MAMIKO’s career suddenly began to slow down, as the “golden age of idols” was coming to an end, and japan’s economic bubble was beginning to burst. she even began to struggle to find work as an actress, as she had to assist her family back in nakagawa, as they were severely affected by the economic crisis. in 1990, she tried her hand at an english debut with the album MEMOIR, but that became the biggest flop of her career, selling a measly 1,500 copies within its first week, and only managing to chart at number one hundred and ninety-one on the BILLBOARD 200 for a single week before falling off. in may 1991, MAMIKO released one final album in japan, a self-title, which sold 9,500 copies. and after a performance on MUSIC STATION, she would disappear from the entertainment world.

that same year, MAMIKO met tech heir TAKAHASHI HIDEHIKO, and they began dating in 1992. and another year later, they were married in a lavish ceremony in france. what MAMIKO failed to realize is that her husband’s family was rife with classism, and they strongly disliked that their eldest son was marrying a woman from a poor family. hidehiko’s parents frequently snubbed her, making passive aggressive comments and practically dedicating their lives to making her uncomfortable. they disliked that MAMIKO was using the family’s wealth to assist her family, and they hated that two years later, she gave birth to their second grandchild, KAORI.

hidehiko’s parents refused to accept kaori as one of their own, and they refused to see her, forbidding their other children to see her, as well. they would spend the next two decades falsely painting kaori as “illegitimate” and trying to question the validity of MAMIKO’s marriage to their son, which understandably pissed hidehiko off. and by 1997, he had mostly cut contact with his parents and the rest of his family. for the next six years, the family of three lived comfortably in tokyo, with MAMIKO falling into her role as a socialite, sporadically appearing in the media when she attended another social function. she even chose to participate in ONYANKO’s reunion in 2002, being one of the front vocalists for their comeback single, “SHŌMIKIGEN.”

however, in 2003, the takahashi family forced their way back into MAMIKO and hidehiko’s lives with a months-long and rather publicized court case that rocked the world. one the case was settled in late 2003, MAMIKO was forced to divorce her husband by his family, who had used their influence to convince the court that her marriage to hidehiko was invalid. she would end up getting custody of kaori, as the takahashi family was adamant on cutting contact between hidehiko and his daughter. losing her husband’s income forced MAMIKO and kaori out of their lavish neighborhood, and she was forced to take up two jobs to support both herself and her daughter. at some point, before moving to the united states in 2006, MAMIKO was forced to move the two of them to her parents’ home in nakagawa, as paying for their apartment in yanaka was cutting into her already meager income.

after moving to the states, she found a job as an editor for HARPER’S BAZAAR, and she and kaori moved into an apartment in new york city, where their living situation was a bit more comfortable. for the next six years, MAMIKO’s life would gradually begin to feel more normal. even as her daughter moved back to japan in 2011 to attend high school and begin her own career in entertainment, she would remain in the states, and wouldn’t return to japan until early 2013. that same year, she eased back into the music industry by writing songs for kaori, and would even pen songs for artists such as NAMIE AMURO and GIRLS’ GENERATION. that summer, she and hidehiko would even remarry after a decade of being apart in the same country where they had first wed twenty years prior, finally bringing their family of three back together. and in december, she collaborated with her daughter for a christmas single, and even before then, MAMIKO made a brief comeback to television by performing on KŌHAKU UTA GASSEN for the second time in 2011.

in 2014, public interest in her bygone idol career was piqued after a performance of “ASOBU NO EMOTION” (which happened to be her kōhaku performance) went viral on both NICO NICO DOUGA and YOUTUBE. as “thanks,” MAMIKO released a compilation album in september, and its subsequent success was the biggest surprise of the year. with over 500,000 copies sold across japan, it became the FIFTH highest selling album of the year, beating out namie amuro and NMB48. the album’s success shocked her, but she was unsure if she should return to the music industry, as she didn’t know if the success would last. however, MAMIKO was convinced to take advantage of her sudden popularity, and shortly after signing with VICTOR ENTERTAINMENT in early 2015, on may 16th, she released her first album in twenty-four years: PHANTASIA.

with sales of nearly a million copies, the album became the SECOND highest selling album in japan, placing just below her own daughter. it’s now MAMIKO’s highest selling album, and even after nine years, her popularity remains the same. she is now among japan’s highest selling and most critically acclaimed artists, and after nearly three decades of career setbacks, MAMIKO’s unexpected resurgence has garnered her the title of the “COMEBACK IDOL.”

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