Ebichu Kannai Devil gif Spectacular!!!

Starting in March, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku became regular cast members for the 2nd Season of Kannai Devil, a weekly music variety program. The 30 min. program takes place in the fictional coffee shop "Kannai Devil" in Yokohama and is hosted by the owner Eiji Ooba and regular customer Kamura Mami. In each episode, the two are joined by a different member of Ebichu playing the role of a part time employee. After some unscripted banter, the three are visited by a musical guest and they discuss various things about their lives. Kannai might be a reference to Kannai Station in Naka-ku, Yokohama. It's also a popular name for the Ooka River in Naka-ku.

Since it's a dialogue heavy show, it's not practical for me to do a full translation. However, there are some funny and cute moments courtesy of the members of Ebichu, so I thought I'd make some gifs. I also recently purchased a real screen capture program and this is the perfect opportunity to test it out.

Intros

Hinata:

Riko:

Rika:

Talents

Hinta shows off her special skill of making a funny face:

Riko's baton twirling:

Drawing Fails!

There's a segment on the show where Mami and the member of Ebichu have to draw an animal after being told it's name. The results were questionable, lol.

Riko and Mami draw a Red Panda:

Riko and Mami have to draw a Clouded Leopard:

Rika and Mami have to draw a Dromedary or Somali Camel:

Bonus #1

I think they were talking about Rika's photobook, but they were trying to play a trick on Mami by pulling out on her old ones. That's why she's so eager to hide it.

Bonus #2

I made a lower quality set of gifs from Ebichu's MV for "Sweet Sweet", but decided to make another set since I better software.

You can watch the full episodes here:

Hinata's Ep

Riko's Ep

Rika's Ep

Recent CD Purchases

I ordered a bunch of CDs recently over the past couple months and they've all arrived. It's been a while since I have this many at once, so I thought I'd do a little write up. This isn't a review of the albums, more like an insight into why I bought them and a little info about the groups.

(Top Row L to R: EMPiRE, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, and Beyooooonds)

----

(Bottom Row L to R: Kodomo Dragon, Baby Kingdom, and Ladybaby)

First up is Ladybaby. I was aware the them, but didn't start following the group until their new lineup in 2018. Their MV for their first single as 4 members, "Hoshi no nai Sora", really got my attention. At the time, there were a bunch of pseudo metal Idol groups in Indie scene, but none of them really interested me. Ladybaby were exactly what I was looking for. There's definitely some Baby Metal influences here, but Ladybaby specifically label themselves as Kawaii Core, and I think they differentiated themselves enough from the former to create their own identity.

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out so well for them. In October 2019, they announced the group would be going on hiatus. Typically, Idol groups don't come back after taking a hiatus, so this might be the end for them. There were definitely problems behind the scenes. They most likely ran out of money and couldn't keep going. There was huge gap between the release of their first and second singles with the new lineup. Ladybaby released some digital singles to tide fans over, but it's difficult to generate money without something physical to sell. I believe the delay was due to looking for a new record label. They found one for the second single, but it was too little too late.

This compilation album, "Reburn", includes all their releases over the past two years. I never bought the singles, so I'm happy they put this out. Unfortunately, there's no DVD as a bonus. It would have been nice to include the MVs that weren't on the physical singles. They did do a good job on the booklet though. There's some nice pictures inside and it's on high quality paper.

EMPiRE is part of the WACK stable of groups which includes BiSH, GANG PARADE, and others. They debuted in December of 2017 and are a collaboration between WACK and Avex. They were meant to be kind of a little sister group to BiSH. I've always liked their sound which is a departure from most of the music their company releases. Their songs are almost entirely electronic and vary between dance and more melancholic vibes. I still really like their debut digital release in Dec. 2017.

EMPiRE has maintained the same design aesthetic with their costumes over the past two years, so they are instantly recognizable. Their overall concept is very artistic, but they occasionally veer into more traditional WACK-like territory with bizarre and disturbing imagery. Their MV for "Black to the dreamlight" was temporarily banned on television due to graphic imagery, so it had to be re-edited for broadcast. "The Great Journey" is their second full album and the first on CD. Their previous releases were on Cassette, so it's nice to finally get something a little more convenient to play!

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, Ebichu for short, is part of Stardust Plant, the Idol Division of Stardust Entertainment. Together with with Momoiro Clover Z (aka Momoclo) and Team Shachi (formerly Team Syachihoko), they form the Stardust Sisters. The debuted in 2009, one year after Momoclo, so they celebrated their 10th Anniversary last year. "Music" was released with the Anniversary in mind.

Ebichu has been very consistent with their releases. They might be the most consistent of all the Stardust Planet groups. There's 12 of them, so that's saying something! I own two other Ebichu albums and handful of singles, so with this purchase, my collection is becoming substantial.

Kaho here is super tall, so I like how she's playing up her height by not fitting into the frame.

I got a photocard of Rika. She's probably my third favorite member, so I'm okay with this.

Beyooooonds is a new group from Hello Project. And yes, you write the letter "o" 5 times, lol. They're a combination of 3 smaller groups: Chika Tetsu, Ame no Mori Kawa Umi, and the 3 winners of H!P's "Only You" audition. Their concept is a bit hard to define as they mix theater into live performances. I took this directly from their page on the Hello Project Wiki to help explain:

"The name was chosen with hopes of the group growing freely towards the future, beyond their existing framework, with the group aiming for an ever-changing appearance similar to slime."

I didn't followed H!P that much last decade. Once my favorite members of Morning Musume left the group, I was no longer invested in the company. I started following the H!P again in 2017. Groups like Angerme and Juice=Juice caught my attention, but I hesitated to buy anything. After Beyooooonds released their debut single "Megane no Otoko no Ko", I couldn't hold out any longer. I enjoyed the song more than I expected and the MV was allot of fun. H!P really can't go wrong with putting a bunch of girls on a train.

Even though I liked their debut, I can't justify buying singles anymore. I do make exceptions (I bought a bunch of copies of C-ute's final single), but I typically wait for an album to be released. Thankfully, I didn't have long to wait. Idols mainly focus on singles nowadays, so Beyooooonds probably won't release another album anytime soon.

There's nothing particularly exciting about the packaging or the booklet for this version, but it came a with a sweet clear file as the bonus.

It's currently in my place of honor.

*The spot was previously occupied by the 3D clear file from Momoclo's 5th album.

Now it's time to switch gears and talk about some Visual Kei. The glory days of this genre are long gone, but I've always had a soft spot for it. I don't follow the scene that much, but there's a handful of groups that I check in on from time to time. Both Kodomo Dragon and Baby Kingdom are on BP Records.

I Really liked Kodomo Dragon's first two albums, but when I heard the singles leading up to the Wolfman album, I felt like they had ran out of ideas. Wen I checked up on them again, I liked what I was hearing. It felt like they got their mojo back. I was really anticipating this album when it came out in March 2019, but I ended up not buying it until now. (The song below is an old favorite of mine)

Why did it take so long? Well, for a long time I ordered all my Japanese CDs from YesAsia. I've only had one bad experience with the site, so I kept using it. A couple years ago I discovered that CD Japan not only gives you points, but includes pre-order bonuses like posters, so I switched entirely over to them. When Kodomo's 4th album came out, I couldn't find it on CD Japan. This was unusual. I probably could have contacted them to see if they could add it, but I was lazy. I eventually went back to YesAsia, and low and behold, there it was. I'd also been getting into Baby Kingdom last year, and since shipping takes so long with YesAsia (It's based in Hong Kong), I thought I might as well add their album too.

There's nothing special about the packaging of "Tegura Magura" and the booklet just has the lyrics, but here's the photocards I got.

(Chamu - Drums & Yume - Guitar)

I wasn't sure about Baby Kingdom when I first listened to them. Their music was okay, but not particularly memorable. That was back when they were on a different label. Since signing with BP Records, they've grown a bit and I was impressed by some of the digest videos they uploaded from their concerts. Like I said, I added this to my order because shipping takes so long, but I like them enough that I probably would have bought the album eventually.

"Age + Plus" is their debut on BP Records. They offer a good counterpoint to Kodomo Dragon. Baby Kingdom has a fairly light rock sound, while Kodomo favors a darker and heavier sound.

The artwork on the discs of Baby Kingdom's album is worth noting.

And here's the photocards.

(Monyo - Bass & Shiki - Guitar)

And that about does it. One of these days I should make a post showcasing all the photocards I've accumulated over the years. Maybe for the 2nd Anniversary of my blog. I could do several posts just on all the H!P cards I've got, so maybe a "best of" would suffice.

Best of Stardust Planet 2019 - Part 2

In the first part of this list, I covered the newer groups of Stardust Planet. Now it's time for the Stardust Sisters: Momoiro Clover Z, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, and Team Shachi.

*It's probably obvious, but the Stardust Sisters are named as such because the three of them are sister groups to each other.

☆ Best of Stardust Planet 2019 - Part 2 ☆

Team Shachi

"Rose Fighter" and "Rocket Queen"

This was the year Team Syachihoko carved out their own identity. The little sister group of Momoiro Clover Z and Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, they've pretty much been Mini Momoclo since their debut. After Ito Chiyuri graduated from the group in Oct. 2018, the remaining 4 members rebranded as Team Shachi. They began dressing in monochrome costumes with their member colors acting mainly as highlights. They also added a horn section, the Brass Min, which changed the group's sound.

This year, they acheived a career first. Their MV for "Rocket Queen" featuring gameplay of a video game collaboration with Mega Man surpassed 1M views. 2019 was definitely the year that Team Shachi stepped out of their older Sister's shadow. From this point on, they will be charting their own destiny.

Rose Fighter was a special release used as the re-debut of the group under the new name and formation. It's a great example of the new direction Team Shachi has taken.

A collaboration with Megaman, this is the official video featuring the group, guest rapper MCU, and the 87 member strong Chuetsu High School marching band!

Momoiro Clover Z

"The Diamond Four", "Road Show", and "Stay Gold"

In their 11th year, Momoiro Clover Z show no sign of slowing down. They released their self titled 5th studio album, their first since 2016, starred in their first stage play, and take the lead in a brand new Variety Show featuring various Stardust groups traveling all over Japan.

After the graduation of long time member Ariyasu Momoka in Jan. 2018, Momoclo started referring to themselves as the Diamond Four. This is the lead track for the 5th album and features a hefty amount of rapping. The lyrics refer to the members themselves and include allot of references to Momoclo's history, inside jokes, and other things that long time fans will be familiar with.

A stand out from the 5th album, Road Show is basically an EDM hype song and has been the new opening number for Momoclo concerts throughout 2019.

Momoclo finished off the year with this epic release on their 20th single. Stay Gold is arguably the strongest single release of all the Stardust Planet groups. It's another departure for Momoclo and has a wistful melody that leaves a lasting impression.

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku

"Trendy Girl", "Pandora", and "Jump"

While Momoclo may have had the strongest single release, 2019 was definitely Ebichu's year. They released the most material of any Stardust Planet group including two studio albums. They also celebrated their 10th Anniversary, so it was a big year all around for them. It's really hard to choose between releases, but I think these four do a good job of representing their range.

Trendy Girl is Ebichu's 13th Single. It's deceiving when you first listen to it. At first, it sounds like so many other song, but the melody and arrangement go a long way toward establishing it's own identity. It's great for repeated listens.

Pandora was a special pre-release for Ebichu's 6th studio album, "playlist". It's a return to the Heavy Metal side of the group.

Wrapping things up is Jump, the lead promotional track from "playlist". It's a bit of a departure from what Ebichu have done recently. It's a powerful song with an anthem like quality featuring a rather unconventional MV even by Ebichu's standards.

And that brings the Best of Stardust Planet 2019 list to a close. I hope this gives a good idea of what the division has to offer and helps as a starting point for anyone interested in exploring these groups further.Overall, 2019 was a very strong year for releases. Here's hoping 2020 is just as great!

Best of Stardust Planet 2019 - Part 1

Stardust Planet is the Idol Division of Stardust Entertainment. It's flagship group is Momoiro Clover Z. With a total of 12 groups, it can be challenging to keep up with all the releases throughout the year. With this in mind, I decided to take a look back and pick out what I thought best represented Stardust Planet in 2019. Because there were so many releases, I thought it would be best to split the list into two parts.

*Disclaimer: I excluded some groups either because they didn't release anything of note this year or they're too new and haven't released much yet. I also only included releases that have official MVs with the full version of the song. This means I excluded short versions and any releases without an MV.

Honorable Mentions

Amefurasshi is a newer group and haven't had any official releases yet, but they've put out a bunch of songs for sale at live events with accompanying live MVs. The members were originally part of 3BJunior, Stardust Planet's trainee group. When they disbanded, Amefurasshi was born. Their concept is supposed to be like an ameba, continually changing. It's anyone's guess what they'll evolve into, but the group has two of the best vocalists in the entire division, Aira and Moeka, so keep an eye on them in the future. The MV for "Rain Makers!!" was released on Jan. 1st 2019, so it seems fitting to include it here.

☆ Best of Stardust Planet 2019 - Part 1 ☆

Takoyaki Rainbow

"Digital Native Generation"

Takoyaki had a pretty quiet year. They released a full album and one single, but the lead track from the album isn't very memorable. The single makes up for their lack of output and the MV has a humorous yet poignant take on modern communication.

Hachimitsu Rocket

"Chuuken Hachiko"

Hachi were also pretty quiet this year. They only released two singles, their 4th being the standout between the two. The title of the song is taken after the famous dog who waited every day at Shibuya Station for his deceased master over a span of 10 yrs.

Iginari Tohoku-san

"Bubble Poppin"

After 4 yrs, Iginari finally released their first official MV. Bubble Poppin serves as the only real summer song released by a Stardust Planet group in 2019. At 9 members, they're the largest group in the division.

Sakura Ebis

"Kira Kira" and "214"

SakuEbi have set themselves apart from most other Stardist Planet groups. Their image and musical style is more artistic and experimental. They recently changed their name to Ukka in order to differentiate themselves from Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, the senior group that mentored them during their trainee days.

Tokimeki Sendenbu

"Victory Story" and "Shape Up"

This was a big year for TokiSen. They're the first of the newer Stardust Planet groups to break away from the pack. They made their major debut on Avex and their first and second singles on the label charted at #3 and #2 on Oricon respectively. Keep an eye on them in the future as they continue to rise.

And this concludes Part 1! Stay tuned for Part 2 with the Stardust Sisters!!!

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku - Alien Drama Interview - Part 1

"(Kobayashi) Kaho's answers are so creative,

she seems like an Alien with a mysterious point of view"

(From L to R: Rika, Hinata, Ayaka, Kaho, Mirei, Riko)

(*A quick note about the above picture. The drama is about the girls finding a flying saucer that crashed on the roof of their school. They discover that one of them is actually an alien, and the boy who arrived in the saucer is there to find out who it is. The fact that Kaho is dressed as an alien in no way spoils the big reveal. It's just a way to promote the show)

Based around the concept of "Eternal Junior High School Students", Ebichu are active in many fields including singing activities, Movies, Dramas, Varieties, and the stage. Starting in January 2018, the "new semester" with 6 members began, and distribution of their first drama in lead roles "You Fly in the Air After School" has started. In this interview, the members talk about the highlights of the drama which includes various elements such as youth, science fiction, love, friendship, and mystery.

--All of the you have have worked as actresses individually in addition to your activities in Ebichu.

What's your stance on acting?

Hinata: I've only worked as an Idol during my time in Ebichu, so in the beginning I wasn't interested in acting. However, as I gradually got jobs as an actress, I realized it was allot of fun playing someone who isn't like me. Recently, I've been working on the stage (In the production of "Taiyo no Uta"), and my desire to play different roles is increasing.

Ayaka: I also love acting. Right now I'm performing in a play with no dialogue called "Gear - Gear -". I'm studying a variety of theatrical styles, so it's a world I'm intersted in learning more about. You ride the melody with singing, but in terms of conveying the meaning through the lyrics, there are parts that are close to dialogue, so I think it's all connected.

Kaho: In Ebichu, expressive skills are important when singing and dancing during live performances,

so even if the way of expression is different in a play, it's importance remains the same. It's hard to remember lines, but the acting is really fun. I'm a bit greedy, but I wish I could be in a play while still performing with Ebichu.

Riko: When I appeared in the stage play "Saki-Saki-", it was my first time working as an actress, so I spent allot of time studying facial expressions. Since the, even during my activites in Ebichu, I feel like I've been changing little by little. I think there's allot you can learn by studying acting.

Mirei: I like watching plays. It's really fun to play a role and become a different person. In an Ebichu Drama, there are many roles that are close to who we are, so if you see yourself acting in a way you've never seen before, it can be very exciting. I want to do something difficult, with action, and play a character who's completely different from my Idol self.

Rika: I only act in plays occasionally, so when I get the chance to do one, it becomes an event. I'm like "Yahoo!". Now that all of us are working together like this, we can see different sides of each other, and discover feelings we didn't know existed. There's also a sense of searching for yourself. I hope we can do this more often from now on.

--For the roles that you played in "You fly in the air after school", was there an element that was close to you?

Rika: It was close to all of us. In the beginning, I heard that the character Kaho-chan played was going to be a cool role. It was someone similar to me, so I was really excited to see a new Kaho-chan.

Mirei: It was a big change, wasn't it?

Rika: The best change was in her intelligence (laughs). There weren't many scenes likes that, but she felt smarter than the real Kaho-chan.

Kaho: The role was the top of the class in school rank, but I'm not like that at all (laughs). I had to use allot of difficult words like "Jaxa", so I was like "Eh?!" However, everyone thought I was well suited for it.

Mirei: Because the screenwriter already knew us, so he probably thought "this girl seems to do this" and included certain actions. The character I played has a USB that looks like it's connected to a UFO, so I'd use that when I was charging my phone, but I'd normally never charge it that way (laughs).

Kaho: But Mirei-chan has the image of charging her phone immediately.

Mirei: I often forgot to carry my cell phone while it was still charging, which was a big deal in the drama. Little behaviors like these are reflections of ourselves. Like the scene where we see Hinata playing Jenga which is very intense. She's a big time gamer so that fits her type, but the atmosphere is a bit different from how she normally is.

(*After watching the drama, I still couldn't understand what the deal was with Mirei charging her phone. There's definitely something dangling from her bag, but they don't draw much attention to it and there's no noticeable scene of her charging her phone. I'm guessing it must have been some kind of portable charger)

Ayaka: Hinata has played allot of shy characters in Ebichu stage productions, but this time she played a rather strong girl. She doesn't normally shout that much, so I think it's a bit different from her.

Hinata: There are allot of really intense roles, but I don't usually get that angry. When I'm shouting in a loud voice, it actually lets me release stressful feelings (laughs), so it's fun to play a character like that. Ayaka's facial expressions and reactions are really exaggerated, like when she's supposed to be surprised and say "Uwa!!". I thought my personality was similar to the way she played her character.

Rika: Four years ago, when we did the drama "Robo-san", my character went in a really interesting direction. In this drama, I play the most standard High School girl. I had to think allot about "What is normal?"

--"Normal" might be the most difficult part to play.

Rika: Personally, I was very compatible with the Idol lifestyle, which meant I couldn't commit to being a student, so it was hard to get a sense of what my character would do everyday. However, during the first day of shooting, I had to talk about something ridiculous or weird that I was reading in the news. Suddenly, it hit me like "Ah! That's it". It was impressive.

(*Compatible is the best word I could come up with. I take it that Rika means that being an Idol went so well for her that she gave up school and focused entirely on her career)

--Kaho and Riko are still in high school.

Riko: I'm above and beyond the normal high school student. I'm the last female high school student!

Kaho: She's the last 3rd year high school student of the Hesei Era (laughs).

(*When Riko refers to herself as the "last female high school student", she's using slang. It's used by girls who are in their final year of high school and about to graduate. Since they are about to go out into the world, they're in a unique position, so only 3rd year students will use this.)

Mirei: However, these two have stronger personalities that normal high school students don't have.

They have a different view of the world because of the field they work in. Because of that, they say the don't know much about current trends (laughs).

Kaho: I can't get into fashion. I'll say "Is this popular now?", and I'll get a response like "That ended quite a while ago". There's allot of things like that (laughs).

Riko: I don't feel like trying to keep up with trends. I notice things at my own pace, so I'm usually like "Oh, it's over now" (laughs).

Kaho: After the trend went away, I'd start thinking "Was that good?"

Riko: The group members who've graduated from high school are more likely to be in fashion than the ones who are active students.

Ayaka: I think that Mirei's feeling of being trendy and up to date is close to the character she plays.

Rika: It's really exciting.

(*Something that might be interesting to know about this conversation is that they are using the slang "JK". It refers to "Joshi Kousei (High School Girl)". They just use the first letter of each word as it's written in English. When I wrote earlier about Riko using the slang "last female high school student", she actually used "LJK", which again uses the first letter of each word written in English "Rasuto Joshi Kousei". Of course, there is no "R" sound in Japanese, so you'd pronounce is as an "L".

What can be confusing is that this also refers to high school girls who go on paid dates. They pass out leaflets advertising "JK Walk" or "Walking Date". Just some extra context to be aware of so you don't say the wrong thing or get into a misunderstanding, lol)

https://deview.co.jp/Interview?am_interview_id=699&set_cookie=2

Ebichu x BiSH

*Originally posted on Onehallyu on Feb. 19, 2018.

This is an Interview with BiSH and Ebichu. I forgot that they did a collab last Nov. and only just came across this Interview a couple weeks ago (This explains Ebichu's cover of Orchestra that I found on YouTube). I'm including a few select pics.

"Orthodox Idols and Punk Idols are like White and Black"

On October 12, "Tokufuku Live Connect! Vol. 2" will be held at Shinkiba Studio Coast. This event of the "Connect=Connect" with the Artists who would like to join in future programs and events. This time, the appearance is Ebichu and BiSH. Ebichu is the orthodox Idol with their singing and dancing, while BiSH are called the "Instrument-less Punk Band" in the Idol scene and is a group with distinct characters. They're said to have a heretical presence which is clearly different from the group they're appearing with. Although meeting for the first time, when talking, it turned out both groups have been fans of each other for a long time. At today's event, their should be unforeseen developments due to the chemical reaction between the two of them.

-- This is your first time meeting, what kind of impressions do you have of each other?

Yasumoto (Ayaka): I like BiSH's songs very much. I've listened carefully to "Promise the Stars". They have a cool image.

Hoshina (Mirei): The 3 of us went to Karaoke and sang it.

BiSH: Really?! We're glad.

Yasumoto: Personally, I listen to it all the time (*not sure if she means just the song or BiSH's music in general) Anyway, I like the song. The lyrics resonate. They have many songs girls of the same age can relate to. Even at school, many girls listen to it.

Chicchi: I'm glad! We also talk about Ebichu.

Momoko: To be honest, there are many BiSH fans who like Ebichu.

Chicchi: I really love "Super Hero". They feel like Super Idols.

Momoko: There are allot of members, but they all seem to be on good terms.

-- From the viewpoint of Ebichu, what do you think is interesting about BiSH that you don't have?

Hoshina: Watching how Fashion is transmitted. I think that girls can feel sympathy and get support. I think that Ebichu has a nice and friedly, like the feeling of flying, while BiSH is cool.

Yasumoto: I admire them. At Lives, I've heard there are dives and they do intense things. Since it's not something we do in Ebichu, I was shocked.

Kobayashi (Kaho): "Punk" also really stands out in their PV. There is no Punk in Ebichu.

Yasumoto: We say Punk allot (laughs).

Kobayashi: They have a cool image.

Chicchi: I'm glad. Thank you.

-- What does BiSH think about Ebichu?

Chicchi: Unlike BiSH, there is a pure aura (laughs).

Momoko: I know it.

Chicchi: It's like Ebichu has a White image while BiSH is Black. Their like proper Idols, always shining. BiSH, as you said earlier, is Punk (laughs). I've also gone to see them Live.

Yasumoto: Really?! I'm glad!

Chicchi: I thought the power of shining was good.

Momoko: Since we don't have it.

Hoshina: To shine can be frustrating, right. (*not sure how to translate what she says. It's a direct response to what Momoko said).

Yasumoto: Actually, my age isn't that of a Junior High School student, but my heart still is.

Chicchi: But it's not so bad to be a Junior High School Student. I want to return to that...

-- If Ebichu is White and BiSH is Black, what kind of group does BiSH think of themselves as?

Momoko: As I said earlier, I think that there is familiarity with Ebichu, however, when meeting BiSH right now, it's often said "they're surprisingly small, aren't they?" and "they're not scary at all".

Aina: We write lyrics ourselves, and I also do the choreography by myself, but rather than doing a job I'm told to do as an Idol (*this was a bit hard to translate), "I don't want to do things I don't want to do", so I think we are selfish girls.

Hoshina: I think that's cool.

Aina: In that sense, I really admire Ebichu, and I think they really do shine. Even in the Live it comes through. It feels like the Super Idol I was talking about a while ago.

-- In BiSH, where do the ideas for the lyrics come from?

Momoko: The lyrics are written individually, so I think that persons nature comes out. I wonder what kind of life that person had led.

Chicchi: That's exactly how it is.

Momoko: Just looking at the lyrics, you can tell who wrote them. For example, Aina has bugs in her lyrics for some reason, which has been going on for a while.

Chicchi: Mostly, is about losing control in the world. It's intersting isn't it?

Momoko: That kind of Punk feeling comes from Aina (laughs).

Chicchi: I can only write "Hot" lyrics (laughs). (*I don't think she literally means hot. She says "Atsukurushii") what does Momoko say? It's Momoko's World. I love it though. I feel like a song writer.

Aina: It's creative, isn't it. For example, looking at the sky, everyone thinks of the color blue, but I think Momoko sees a different color. It's a different point of view. Each member is different.

-- What's the most important thing for a Live?

Yasumoto: There are members with different sensibilities and different expressions, and after all, it's a group with many members, each part must be properly aligned. There's freedom when you do it yourself, but when doing it together, you have to keep the performance sharp.

Hoshina: Surely. Recently, I've become concious of this.

Chicchi: It's very serious. Because we have 6 people with strong personalities, perhaps each one comes through. As I said within BiSH, I guess it will happen every time.

(*This was a bit hard to translate. I think she was saying that, even though you have to work together as a group when performing live, because the 6 members have such strong personalities, their individuality can't help but come through, so there might be some rough edges)

Aina: I feel like I can't be defeated all the time. I do not want to be defeated because I want to win.

-- Does that mean you don't want to lose to the other members? (*Not sure if they mean to Ebichu in the collab or the other members of BiSH)

Chicchi: It's like that with everything (laughs). Even the fans.

Aina: Chicchi will suddenly say "I don't want to lose to anyone!".

Yasumoto: I'd never say such a thing!

-- Where does this competitive spirit come from? (*He actually sayd "Hungry" Spirit, but I use competitve instead)

Chicchi: It was established over the last 3 years. In the beginning, there wasn't this kind of feeling, but that is what BiSH has become. We're not the same as anyone else. If you come in that way, I began to think I didn't want to lose any scenes. I started to say something like that to myself (laughs).

-- Do you think that Ebichu has grown during their activities?

Hoshina: In the beginning, most of the members had never done any singing or dancing, so the feeling was that the dancing wasn't good and the singing was unstable. We started getting frustrated. From that point on, we were able to stop sending out something like our catchphrase. I think that's why each member changed and one of the reasons the group has changed.

(*this was a bit difficult. I mostly had trouble with the middle. I wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about regarding the members struggles early on. However, the catchphrase she's referring to is "Unarticulated dance and shaky vocals". I take it as meaning, as they improved, they got to a point where the catchphrase no longer applied them)

-- That's very regrettable isn't it? (*referring to members leaving I think)

Yasumoto: The members have changed, but when no. 12 Nakayama Riko joined, we ourselves changed. There's was some fear. I wonder if I changed then.

-- Do you tink BiSh has had any opportunities to change?

Chicchi: BiSH changed allot when Ayuni D joined last year. The 3 of us are original members, but it changed how we felt. Even thought 2 members of the group who joined later became seniors,  it sesms like the feelings and performance aspects have changed. Last December, a had a month to improve myself. From that point on, the opportunity to communicate with members increased.We talk allot about what we want to do as BiSH, so naturally the conciousness has changed.

-- Could you talk about each other's favorite songs? You've already mentioned a few.

Hoshina: The members often listen to "Orchestra". We also sing it together in the dressing room. When we came today, we just arrived when you were rehearsing it. The moment we heard it, we were like, "What?!" (laughs).

Momoko: I really like "Natsu Daze Jonny".

Hoshina: That's unexpected (laughs)

Aina: Allot of Live Idol Images are often given to fans, and among them Ebichu might be the most well known. Because we do the choreography ourselves, I often see allot of images. Ebichu's choreography is interesting and the costumes match well with the movement. Everything's cool, isn't it? Of course, I don't listen to the songs, so I'm always watching the performance.

Yasumoto: After it's over, we're always muddy aren't we?

Kobayashi: There's no makeup left when it's over (laughs).

-- How do you spend your time before the Live, is there anything that you always do?

Aina: Everyone in BiSH does.

Chicchi: I stay on the Toilet.

Momoko: It's incredibly annoying.

Chicchi: I like to take my time, I stay there forever. It's the place you feel safe. Sometimes I get angry.

Momoko: When there is only one toilet, right? I double my shoelaces. They would unravel and come off. Tying them is really suited for your fighting spirit.

(*At first, I wondered what tying shoelaces had to do with the toilet, but then I realized that it was unrelated. Momoka just made a brief comment about Chicchi hogging the toilet to wrap it up and then moved on to talking about her pre-live preparations, lol)

Aina: I imaging singing in the bathroom, and sing 1 phrase of a song I like. When it comes to live singing, I get nervous. After I make the atmosphere for singing the most fun, I go out onto the stage.

Hoshina: Ebishu is fine. Everyone does different things. We all take time for meditation. Just before going out on stage, the members and managers close their eyes, and say what today's Live will be like.

Aina: That's so modern, isn't it.

Momoko: Right now, meditation is popular for mindfulness, isn't it.

Aina: That's good, let's do it. I'd definitely like to do it together at the 2 Man.

Yasumoto: It's agreed then!

-- Lastly, tell us about your enthusiasm for the Live.

Chicchi: I think that BiSH and Ebichu are different as groups, but we'll give you a Live that is BiSH-like. I think that BiSH fans, Ebichu fans, and everyone will have a fun day.

Aina: That's the way.

Momoko: Of course, I don't want to lose, but regardless of winning or losing, everyone will have fun at the venue, right.

Yasumoto: Because we do not do Lives with other groups very much, we're getting excited. Like BiSH said, it's a Battle. In the end, I was glad that we could do it together. I want to make a Live where fans of each others groups will want to see them again.

(*I'm not sure if she means "other groups". She uses "Taiban" and I wasn't sure if it meant "opponent",  so I picked something that sounded friendlier)

https://www.up-now.jp/articles/id/67258

The interesting thing about this is that Ebichu are considered the Traditional Idols. It's kind of funny because they have their eclectic side and have done some heavy songs. I guess when paired with BiSH, they would be considered the more straight forward of the two.