Last Idol 8th Single Interview

*Last Idol 8th Single - Close Up Star Interview. This was posted on TV Guide's site on March 25th.

"Selected members from the Aki-P produced group, Last Idol"

(L to R: Rio, Wakana, Abe, Midori, and Airi)

Last Idol, the Idol Group produced by Aki-P that debuted in December 2017, is releasing their 8th single "I Know Love". The groups was formed by members who won one on one performance battles held on a TV Show of the same name. After their debut, the title song for the singles was decided by battles between Units. They also tried various challenges such as the "Art of Walking" for their 6th single. This time, they held their first Candidate System Audition Battle to select 18 members to sing the title song! We spoke with members ranked 1 - 5 (Abe Natsumi, Nagatsuki Midori, Majima Wakana, Yasuda Airi, and Oomori Rio) about their thoughts on recent events.

--First of all, please tell us about your feelings after the first Candidate System Audition Battle.

Rio: out of 41 members, only 18 would be selected. I felt I absolutely had to be chosen. However, I had allot of anxiety, so I rented a dance studio and practiced by myself. As a result of challenging myself and giving everything I had, I was chosen for 5th place. I want to do my best to make everyone happy that I was chosen for 5th!

Airi: The candidate system was announced on twitter and I was at a loss. I really hate fighting against other members. However, after stressing out about it, I looked at the fans who work hard, and I remembered that Idols can inspire people and give them hope. Because of this, I decided to do my best and was chosen as 4th place in the candidate system.

Wakana: I was chosen as 3rd place, but I want to keep in mind the members who weren't chosen, and I want to work without being content with the results. The members who didn't place in the 18 are really disappointed and I think they are determined rise up. In this way, the entire group can raise our awareness of how much fun it is being in an Idol Group. I think that's what is most enjoyable. I hope to inspire this kind of group with the atmosphere of this single!

Midori: When this Audition Battle was announced, some members were crying because they were scared, but I was happy and crying (laughs). I've been battling allot, so my feeling was like "Bring it on anytime!" I went through the audition with the mindset of how I can improve and what I could do to get chosen. In the end, I got 2nd place!

--Midori-san has a battle temperament (laughs).

Midori: That's right (laughs). In Last Idol, it started with a 1 on 1 performance battle. But recently, the whole group is working together to accomplish one thing and there were many new dynamics. However, I was itching for a fight and started getting a little crazy (laughs).

--How about Abe-san how came in 1st place?

Abe: I also needed some kind of stimulation so I felt like "it finally came!" and was looking forward to the battle. As a result, I was chosen as the center once again, but I feel more pressure than I have before.

-- The title song sung by the top 18 from the Audition Battle is called "I Know Love". This a new type of song for Last Idol, isn't it?

Rio: This is the first time we've done Rock song. It's really upbeat. We can get fans really excited with a song like this when performing it live!

Wakana: When we received the song, I thought "It's finally come!" I wanted to sing the kind of song that gets people to spin towels above their heads at Summer Festivals, so I'm really happy!

Airi: I usually listen to upbeat songs, so I was really happy when I heard "I Know Love".

Midori: The music is upbeat, but the lyrics are a bit dark. Personally, I think that's become the trademark of Last Idol.

--Following her work on the previous song "Seishun Train", Akane, the choreographer of the "Bubbly Dance" and coach for Tomioka High School's Dance Club in Osaka, has also done the choreography for this song.

Abe: Last time, we performed the dance for "Seishun Train" with a serious expression. This time, there are allot of smiling faces and I think you can see allot of cute expression from the members!

Rio: There's also a part for a free dance, so we get a chance to show our individual charms.

--"I Know Love" is an impressive title.

Rio: Actually, I'm looking forward to what abbreviations will take root. There are some fans who are already abbreviating it to "Loving" and "I Love", but because I'm from Aichi Prefecture, "Loving" is the best choice! If this abbreviation catches on, we may be able to do a collaboration with Aichi Prefecture! (laughs)

(*This is something that gets lost in translation. "I Know Love" is written in Japanese as "愛を知る" When the characters "愛" and "知" are written together like this "愛知" it reads as Aichi, Rio's home. The joke makes more sense if I write her sentence like this: Because I'm from Aichi Prefecture, "Aichi" is the best choice)

--Of course (laughs). In addition to this, Last Idol has been around for over two years since it's debut.

What kinds of things have changed for you?

Midori: It's a group that was the result of 1 on 1 battles, but now I think we all respect each other. We can look past ourselves and see good points in the other members.

Airi: I think recently that Abe-chan has become a Center that encompasses everything. I look at Abe's back and see her dance and sing perfectly and it feels like everyone in the group is connected to her and follows her every move.

Abe: In the past, I only thought of myself. After being in Last Idol, I think of the entire group. I'm really very shy, but Akane-sensei said "If you open your heart to everyone, it will become a better group." Because of that, I think I'm changing.

--Currently, Last Idol has a television program being broadcasted on TV Asahi with the duo Shimofuri Myoji as the MCs.

Midori: Shimofuri Myojo also mentioned our name on the radio, so I'm really grateful. Both of them are very kind.

Abe: I want to thank them for taking good care of us.

--In closing, please tell us your current goal as Last Idol.

Abe: The goal is to make Idol known more and more and one day to stand on the stage at Budokan.

Wakana: Naturally, I think standing inside Budokan will prove without a doubt that Last Idol's popularity is growing, so we'll do our best!

https://www.tvguide.or.jp/column/closeup_star/20200403/01.html

Last Idol 8th Single Selection

Here's the line up:

1. Abe Natsumi (LaLuce)
2. Nagatsuki Midori (LaLuce & Chou Cream Rockets)
3. Majima Wakana (Someday Somewhere)
4. Yasuda Airi (LaLuce)
5. Ohmori Rio (Love Cocchi)
6. Yamamoto Airi (Love Cocchi)
7. Nishimura Honoka (Love Cocchi)
8. Ozawa Aimi (Chou Cream Rockets)
9. Machida Honoka (2nd Gen Main Group)
10. Okamura Mana (2nd Gen Unders)
11. Momiyama Himeri (Someday Somewhere)
12. Hata Misaki (2nd Gen Main Group)
13. Shinohara Nozomi (2nd Gen Unders)
14. Matsumoto Momona (Chou Cream Rockets)
15. Okumura Yuki (2nd Gen Unders)
16. Yoneda Miina (2nd Gen Unders)
17. Oba Yume (2nd Gen Main Group)
18. Shiraishi Mana (2nd Gen Unders)

I have to say, the uniforms look great. I wasn't expecting something like this. They're quite a departure from the previous AKB style ones they wore for the 6th single and the Keyakizaka style ones for the 7th.

/#ラストアイドル
8thシングル『愛を知る』
選抜メンバー18名が決定🎊
\#阿部菜々実 #長月翠 #間島和奏#安田愛里 #大森莉緒 #山本愛梨#西村歩乃果 #小澤愛実 #町田穂花#岡村茉奈 #籾山ひめり #畑美紗起#篠原望 #松本ももな #奥村優希#米田みいな #大場結女 #白石真菜https://t.co/iITAZh5Aja pic.twitter.com/pzzvalMPtU

— ラストアイドルファミリー公式 (@last_idol_pr) February 19, 2020

Overall, I'm fine with the selection results. Most of the members I expected to pass did so. I should note that the girls always seem so dour during these events. I remember watching Senbatsu's for Keyakizaka46 and the members didn't look happy at all. There's allot of pressure to stand out combined with competition among other members, so it could be that the stress of the situation is too much. There's also the expectation to be professional and maintain composure, so what should be a joyful occasion ends up being something grim.

They played it safe and went with the Abe, Midori, and Wakana as the top 3. This formula has worked before, so it makes sense (These three were at the top for the 3rd single "Suki de Suki de" and the 6th single "Otona Survivor". The only difference with the 3rd single is that Wakana was the center instead of Abe). Abe was the only choice for the center. There's no way Wakana was going to be chosen. While she does have an aura, she's not nearly as consistent as Abe. On top of that, Wakana's aura only comes through in MVs. It's not apparent during live performances.

Abe just seems to have so much confidence. Right before Lasu Ai, Yoroshiku! began, several members were selected to participate in the pre-release prayer (I can't remember, but it might have been for the 4th single). I don't know if it's still being done, but there was a trend where groups would go base jumping and say a short prayer for the single's success. Abe ended up going twice even though she didn't have to. That's the kind of person she is.

After taking her place, Abe said:

"Even though I've been the center on the previous two singles, there were times when I was unsatisfied with myself. This time, I will succeed. Thank you very much."

It's a bit hard to translate part of Abe's speech. She says "Shoubu" which translates to either "victory/defeat" or "sport/contest". I went with succeed because I think Abe wants to make this a challenge like it's a contest with herself.

Midori's so charismatic and has a great voice, so her being number 2 again is the right choice. She seemed quite humbled. It makes up for her not making it into the top 7 of the Dragon Egg Battle (she placed 8th). For those unaware, Dragon Egg is a very popular mobile battling game. It's doing a tie-in with the 8th single and the title track will be used in commercials for the game which is a big deal. Because of this, they held a battle involving fan participation. The rules are complicated, but fans could help members by sending them in game items. At the end of the competition, the members that ranked 1 - 7 would participate in a special commercial for Dragon Egg. The winners also received special golden dragon eggs with their names on them. It helped if you were good at the game and several of the members who placed in the top 7 are gamers, so that gave them an edge.

Midori said:

"I'd been standing next to Abe for such a long time during single promotions, but when Seishun Train was released, I dropped down a little. I didn't show it, but I was disappointed. This time, I became happy because I thought I would have the chance to stand next to Abe again. I feel that, standing in this position, I have to be great representative of Last Idol. This time, I will work harder than ever before. Thank you very much.

As I said earlier, Wakana wasn't going to be chosen as the center. The 3rd single with her as center was Last Idol's lowest selling up to the point. I don't think it was entirely Wakana's fault. They announced the single in the middle of the 2nd Producer Battle, which caught fans off guard. They were probably saving up to buy the single by the winners of that season and not prepared for a surprise single that would be released only 2 weeks after the announcement. It was poor planning on managements part, but considering how polarizing Wakana is, her role as center most likely hurt it as well. After being selected for the 3rd position, Wakana kept her speech surprisingly short.

All Wakana said was:

"I want to make Last Idol bigger. I'll do my best. Thank you very much."

I could go on an on about each member, so I'll make my comments brief about the rest of the selection process.

LaLuce's Airi seemed genuinely surprised to be 4th. She said: "when Last Idol debuted, #4 was my original position, so I'm happy to return to here." It's worth noting that the top 4 contains 3 members from LaLuce showing just how strong they are as performers.

I believe this is the highest position for Love Cocchi's Rio, so she was understandably emotional. She said: "I worked really hard to become the center of Last Idol and put allot of emotion in it. I was really worried about what I would do if I wasn't selected, but I'm happy to be standing here. Thank you for choosing me."

Personally, I would have switched positions for Love Cocchi's Airi and Rio. They're the two best performers in their Unit, but I'd put Airi ahead of Rio.

Aimi was also really emotional. She really wanted to be selected, but had allot of doubts. However, she thought it would useless if she said to herself "I can't do it" and instead thought positively. She came alive after hearing that she passed.

There are 3 choices I don't agree with:

- Good Tears's Kana should have been selected. Kana was better in her dance and vocal performances than some of the members who passed. Not only that, but Good Tears the only Unit not represented in the lineup. That's really odd.

- Hata Misaki should have been disqualified after forgetting the lyrics during her vocal performance. It doesn't feel right to select her when other members gave better performances.

- I feel the same way about Wakana. She shouldn't have been selected after her terrible vocal performance. Giving her such a high position only solidifies her reputation as Aki-P's favorite. I don't expect this will endear her to fans.

- I would also say that the 2nd Gen's Yoneda Miina should have been placed higher.

The judges commented, but I'm just going to summarize them. Akane said that the members who weren't selected weren't really that bad and they shouldn't feel depressed. She wants the members who were selected to evolve with the awareness that they are representatives.

Yoshida commented that the goodness of everyone came out. All the judges evaluated the members on different criteria, but the members that were selected had something that really shined.

This is how the rows will look.

I've read that one of the reasons fans think certain members were selected because they've been doing Gravure shoots so this helps marketability. They're actually doing a Gravure Battle to decide which Unit will sing the coupling song (I'll do a write up for that later). Naturally, some fans question what's the point of even doing an audition if the line up is chosen by management behind closes doors. It was pointed out that this kind of event is good because you can see how members have grown as performers. It can help their popularity grow. One fan said: "No matter what criteria is used to choose the lineup, whether it's ability, popularity, or appearance, someone will complain."

So very true.

8th Single Selection:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av90260940?from=search&seid=11097122222227512182

Last Idol 8th Single Audtion

I wasn't planning to make a post about Last Idol's 8th Single Audition, but I've been thinking more about it this week and felt the need to write down my thoughts.

Back in December, at the 2nd Anniversary concert held on Christmas Day, there was a surprise announcement of the 8th single. This time, it would be a competition, something we haven't seen since the 5th single. Out of the current 41 members in Last Idol Family, 18 would be selected to sing on the title track.

After the announcement, Midori said she was a little excited and Abe said that lately she's been a little unsatisfied. Maybe Abe's looking for a challenge. The 2nd Gen's Machida Honoka said she's already scared and about to cry and Chou Cream Rockets's Aimi said it's been a long time since she's battled, so she's nervous.

I expected it to be more like the one on one battles of the past, but thankfully, it was a more casual type of audition. Members drew numbers and were put into groups.

Each group would then perform in front of a panel of Judges, 9 in total, who would award them from 0 - 100 points. They are judged in 3 catagories:

- Dancing
- Singing
- Single Phrase performance (This is sort of like an appeal)

There are some familiar faces among the Judges like Omori Seiko, Go Yoshida, CRE8BOY, and Akane who did the choreography for Last Idol's 7th single, "Seishun Train".

Yoshida commented that he'll do his best to create another flare up. It's really hard to find an English translation, but flare up means creating controversy. Of course, Yoshida is referencing his controversial decision to eliminate Midori from the 1st season, despite the other 3 Judges voting for her. He made a similar decision during the 2nd Gen's survival show, but it didn't have the same impact.

Each group does the dancing portion simultaneously and they all perform the same 30 second choreo put together by Akane. For the singing portion, they perform individually. I'm not going to review every member, just those that stood out for better or for worse.

For the dancing portion:

- Abe looked good as expected. She's so tall and really stretched her body out. One fan referred to her as "Abe Boss", so I don't know if that's an actual nickname, or something they gave her. I've always just called her "Giant Abe" after the wrestler Giant Baba. Yoshida said Abe's dancing was overwhelming.

- The 2nd Gen Unders Himari caught my attention during the battle for the 2nd Generation. She's kind of in the mold of Keyakizaka46's Hirate. Himari's dancing here was good, but she didn't stand out as much as I thought she would.

- I was really surprised by LaLuce's Haruka. She moved really well and showed allot of confidence.

I wasn't expecting this at all.

I think Akane expressed concern because none of them showed any expression while dancing.

- Good Tear's Kana was another stand out. My eyes were immediately drawn to her and even the judges pointed out that she was the only one who smiled. Kana even got a pick up shot.

There really isn't much to say about the rest of the groups since most were done in a digest. It's worth noting that Midori's dancing wasn't good as expected. It looked like she was just flailing her arms and legs, lol. I don't know how much time they had to prepare, but I imagine the routine was a bit higher level then she was used to (After watching the episode a second time, Midori didn't look as bad).

Regardless of the weakness of certain members, Akane said the field was good and it was a perfect score in this category. She was glad to see their growth.

For the singing portion:

- Abe sang Silent Majority. She didn't sound quite as good as she usually does. Abe's very consistent,

but something was a little off here. Even the judges pointed it out. Some fans commented that she didn't choose the best song for her voice. Song selection can go a long way to showcasing your singing ability, so that's a good point. Omori Seiko even commented that she didn't think it was the right song to showcase Abe's range.

For her Single Phrase performance, Abe said: "My motto for my Idol life is 'I'll always aim to be my best'".

- Again, Himari, the Hirate inspired girl, didn't impress me as much as she did in the 5th Gen battle, so it's a bit disappointing.

- Laluce's Haruka performed a very simple song and was complimented for it. She cried afterwards, so I'm not sure what was up.

There were two members in the middle groups that really stood out. Both are in the 2nd Gen, so I'm not familiar with them:

- The 2nd Gen Unders's Yoneda Miina has a fantastic voice! She picked the perfect song for her, so that really helped. She might be the best pure vocalist in Last Idol Family. Another judge, HKT48's Yuukosu, said she didn't expect to hear this kind of singing ability at an Idol audition. I don't know if that's a compliment, lol.

- The 2nd Gen's Machida Honoka also sounded really good. Another nice surprise. Yoshida said that her dancing and singing is the best at the moment.

- Midori sounded great as expected. Her voice was clear and strong. I still think she's in the top 5 vocalists in the entire group. Yoshida commented that the song choice was good and he hopes she passes at the time of selection.

- Back in the first season when the 1st Gen battle took place, Love Cocchi's Airi really stood out. Along with Abe, I thought she was the best overall performer. I think she could even go solo. However, just like Abe earlier, I found her singing a bit lacking. Not sure why.

- Airi's group mate, Rio sound really good however. Very clean and clear vocals. She and Airi have always carried Love Cocchi in the vocals department, so she came through here.

- Love Cocchi's Honoka has never been a good dancer or singer. She's more of a Variety talent and likes to showboat. She brought 4 talisman's to the audition to help her chances. She sounded okay here, but for some reason held out a fake eye to the Judges. The title of the song translates to "Drop Your Eyes Out", so I guess she wanted to work in some kind of gimmick.

- Mizuno Mana, who was one half of the W Center for the 5th single performed by the 2nd Gen, didn't impress me too much with her vocals. I expected more considering she started the survival show as the center and remained there the entire season. Mana gave a very weird single phrase performance. She did some kind of cheer about having 337 beats. I didn't get it.

- LaLuce's Airi injured her eye, so she was wearing a patch over it. When she came out, Omori Seiko started laughing. The song Airi chose to sing was called "Pupil" and Yoshida commented that someone who injured their eye is singing Pupil. The Judges made the connection with Honoka's earlier performance when she held out the fake eye which they showed on screen. The coincidence was too perfect.

Now on to the really bad:

- The 2nd Gen's Oba Yume was the first one who sounded really bad. She had allot of trouble during her performance and was crying. For her Single Phrase performance, Yume said: "I would like to grow in the future so my weediness becomes attractive". The SHOWROOM President, Maeda, still complimented her on her performance saying that it was great and he got a good impression from her.

- Hata Misaki A popular 2nd Gen member who participated in allot of interviews for the 6th single, forgot the words halfway through her performance. She was understandably upset afterwards and I'm sure she lost allot of points.

- In general, there were allot of mediocre and outright bad vocal performances. They focused particularly on 2nd Unders Shiraishi Mana who's eyes were bugging out. The pic below doesn't do it justice, lol. Her vocals were pretty bad, but she was praised for her expression. I don't know, I thought the whole thing was pretty cringey.

It's worth noting that the Judges aren't going to outright say you were terrible. They'll find some way to compliment you even if you stunk the place up. In the case of Chou Cream Rockets Momoka, Yoshida said she still has a long way to go, but did improve.

- Now we get to Someday Somewhere's Wakana. Before her performance, she gave a speech:

"In the early days of group activity, it was confusing for fans and members often felt uneasy and conflicted with each other. I want Last Idol to become national Idols. I want to be the Last Idol and do my best."

She can be very melodramatic and has expressed these sentiments before. Wakana then proceeds to perform Bandwagon along with the full choreography. It's been over 2 yrs. since she was eliminated from the 1st Gen battle, and she still hasn't gotten over it. I get that it's disappointing, but she made this too personal. Wakana gets so emotional, that her performance completely falls apart. She's a good dancer, but her voice has always been shakey and can't hold a note to save her life. Wakana made it worse for herself by picking such a triggering song like Bandwagon. She cries and her vocals are a mess.

Omori Seiko is moved to tears, likely because she was the one who was called on to vote during Wakana's battle against Abe and she chose Abe, thereby causing her elimination.

Seiko: "I was reminded that the first time I saw "Bandwagon" performed, Wakana was the center. Seeing her perform it again made me realize the burden I'd been carrying. I feel like I'll do my best too. Thank you very much."

Yoshida commented that even though her performance wasn't the best, she managed to convey something in it. One fan thought that this was meant to provide closure between Wakana and Seiko, so maybe there's something to that.

I just thought this whole thing was ridiculous. It's should have been a straightforward and drama free audition, but Wakana chose to make it about herself. It's entirely possible she was put up to it by management, but we'll never know. Despite Seiko complimenting Wakana after the perf, I can't imagine she got many points for this. Also, this display will only feed Wakana's anti's more.

A few Judges gave some closing comments.

Akane said that out of the 1st Gen, she thought the overall skill of the LaLuce members was overwhelming.

Seiko thinks that Abe is the best singer and dancer.

Yoshida said he wants to see Wakana's strength and determination.

That's it for the audition phase. I'll be back to talk about the final selection which was announced last Wednesday. You can watch both episodes of the audition here:

Ep. 1: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av87038860

Ep. 2: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av88586225/?spm_id_from=333.788.videocard.2