On Sept. 9th, a new Twitter account was opened and made this one and only post using the hashtags #ZOC and #大森靖子 (Omori Seiko). The only text is "Start" and "Presented to the public soon".
— ZOC (@ZOC_ZOC_ZOC) September 9, 2018
People started speculating what it means. Only Seiko is visible in the group photo. The other members identities are unknown. There's a song titled "ZOC Shikkenshitsu (ZOC実験室)" on Seiko's new album "Kusokawa Party", so this must be where the name comes from.
なに、、、新アイドルグループ？— ラップスター［アンズピア推しの新米］🍚 (@VizMajor) September 10, 2018
大森靖子さんセンターかな？
サクライケンタさん？
この衣装めちゃくちゃカッコイイ
could it be a new idol group? Oomori Seiko as center? Sakurai Kenta sound producer? I already like the look, the outfits are really cool#ZOC #大森靖子 https://t.co/qfwbPtiQn7
I thought they might reveal the identities of each member over the course of several weeks, but on Sept. 17th, their debut MV was released and all the members were revealed.
MV
ZOC @ZOC_ZOC_ZOC— 大森靖子🌏🃏超歌手 (@oomoriseiko) September 18, 2018
000 共犯者 大森靖子💘 @oomoriseiko
001 藍染カレン❤️ @aizome_karen
002 戦慄かなの💙 @CV_Kanano
003 香椎かてぃ💜 @KatyHanpen
004 西井万理那🧡 @namahamu0822
005 葵時フィン💛 @Fin_Fin_Fin__
006 兎凪さやか♡ @sss_ri_3_e#ZOC pic.twitter.com/ESYXKhyGfq
5 of the other 6 members have had some level of involvement with the Miss iD Contest. I've looked into this before, and as best I can understand, the purpose of the competition is to challenge what it means to be a girl and create a new female identity. I'm not sure what the winner gets, but I assume it's a contract for Modeling, Acting, etc.
Here's the statement from ZOC's official site:
"ZOC is the abbreviation of "Zone of Control". It's a term used in War and Role Playing Simulation Games. To put it simply, it refers to the concept of "Controlling the Domain" in games. With this in mind, we advocate the meaning "Don't isolate solitude". In this Unit, ZOC means "Zone Out of Control" and we will define a place where belonging and supreme isolation co-exist.
ZOC is fixed as well as fluid. It is elastic and forms various shapes. ZOC is connected and influences ZOC (*I don't really get what she's saying is in this sentence. It's all very esoteric). I'm not ZOC's Producer. We fight together, we play together. We are allies with the same empty, black hole in our hearts. And we would like you to become an ally of ZOC too."
- Omori Seiko
The next section goes further into the concept of the group:
"This is not an "Omori Seiko Produce".
For a long time, Idol Culture in Japan has been defined as the absolute relationship between a Male Producer and a young Girl, like a "Teacher and Student" or a "Parent and Child". However, in the last couple years, we have reached a cross road. With the "decline of the boom", there comes a period of inevitable change and we see the shape of something new. ZOC shows the opposite of Idol Culture up to this point with adults raising girls without ego. It's the story of girls becoming independent and becoming the person they want to be.
Omori Seiko said:
"Don't Produce. I'm a member, a producer, and a kindred spirit. In short, we are allies."
On her new album, "Kusokawa Party", she recorded the song "ZOC Shikkenshitu (ZOC Laboratory)" and released the MV for it as a Unit with 7 allies/members.
Among the members, 5 of them are alumnis of the Audition Project "Miss iD" which challenges the idea of what it means to be a girl. Omori Seiko has served on the selection committee since 2014."
It remains to be seen how much involvement Seiko will have in the group moving forward. ZOC will already be performing as 6 members at an upcoming event on Sept. 23rd. I'll be keeping my eye on this project to see how it evolves over time.
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