The Future is Now! Next Generation Highlights of Tokyo Idol Festival 2015!

| Idol | Posted by ykmk on Aug.13.2015

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Tokyo Idol Festival 2015 was held on August 1st and 2nd and it gathered more than 51,000 people in Odaiba. Many famous and popular idols appeared on the stages, including Dempagumi.inc, SKE48, and HKT48. However, this article focuses on idols who may be joining those ranks in the near future.

8/1 Moso Calibration at Sky Stage 5:35pm~

Fans of Moso Calibration, known as “Moso-zoku” (literally translates to “Tribe of Moso”) are known for their enthusiastic way of watching live concerts and can sometimes go too far. They make appeals to their oshi with high jumps, energetic wota-gei and just about any outlandish gimmick they can think of. However, jumping is strictly prohibited at Sky Stage where they had a live concert and in the worst case scenario, the live concert would be cancelled if the rules were broken, which left an uneasy mood in the air as they took the stage.

The “Moso-zoku” filled the rooftop of Fuji Wangan Studio with the black T-shirts of Moso Calibration and their live began with the song “Naze nara Watashi, Moso Shojo Desu no”. With no exception, this song can easily make “Moso-zoku” get into a wild mood but, they kept the rule and cheered on their oshi within the restrictions.

Following “Naze nara Watashi Moso Shojo Desu no”, two songs were performed in succession, “Yumemiru Otome wa Muteki Desho!?” and ”Kanashimi Calibration”. “Yumemiru Otome wa Muteki Desho!?” is included in “Genso Koi Hanabi”, Moso Calibration’s latest single which was to be released on August 4th.

Moso Calibration performed cheerfully in response to the yells of the “Moso-zoku”. They left the stage, thanking their fans for coming to the stage and protecting their performance from trouble. The stage was placed on the roof of building, so there was much breeze and it was comfortable. I wondered whether the comfortableness came from the wind or the warmth of the fans.

Setlist:
01. Nazenara Watashi, Moso Shojo Desu no
02. Yumemiru Otome wa Muteki Desho!?
03. Kanashimi Calibration

8/1 Rio Hiiragi at Doll Factory 8:45pm~

It was the first time for Rio Hiiragi to participate in Tokyo Idol Festival but she did not seem to be nervous at all. This could be because of her veteran-level experience of live concerts. She has been broadcasting live everyday through Youtube, Nico Nico Live and Twitcasting for more than 900 days in a row. She has also gone overseas to perform extensively.

She appeared with the song “Rioriori no Uta”. This song included a call and response with the audience. When she sang, “Hiiragi Rio wa? (Rio Hiiragi is~?)” and the audience shouted “Saiko desu! (awesome!)”. Repeating this kind of call and response, the audience became more and more “Takamariorio”(excited).

As she answers in some interviews, she wants to be a anisong singer. The last two songs “Tsukuriwarai no Kagehoushi” and ”Rinne no Koi” sounded like anime song. Even her figure on the stage appeared to overlap Nana Mizuki! The day that her dream comes true might come sooner than expected.

Rio Hiiragi is active in overseas as she has appeared at JAPAN EXPO in Paris two years in a row. Her name echoes across the 7 seas and it has begun to resound all over Japan as well.

Setlist:
01. Rioriori no Uta
02. Tsukuriwarai no Kagehoushi
03. Rinne no Koi

8/2 lyrical school at Hot Stage 11:30am~

lyrical school returned to Odaiba after a successful one-man live concert at Zepp Diver City Tokyo just a week prior. Although they have participated in Tokyo Idol Festival for 4 years in a row, it was the first time for them to stand on Hot Stage, which is reserved for the most famous performers of Tokyo Idol Festival.

The live concert started with medley of their uptempo tunes. The members gave a performance with full effort as they responded to the audience shouting the lyrics along with them. The Hot Stage got hotter and hotter as the live concert continued. Although most of the audience there seemed to be “heads” (fans of lyrical school) especially during the song “PARADE”, there were a lot of spectators who had gathered, with probably quite a few who were seeing them for the first time.

After MC, the song “FRESH!!!” was performed, starting with ayaka’s famous shout of “Rap wo Suruno wa Tanoshii Desu! (Rapping is fun)”. They closed the stage with the latest single “Wonderground”.

lyrical school started its history as tengal6 and this is their 5th year. The combination of idols and hip hop should have been seen as a potential tranwreck. However, they increased the number of fans by sticking to their style and finally reached Hot Stage. We can not take our eyes off them as this might just be another step in their journey.

Setlist:
01. Ribbon wo kyutto
02. PARADE
03. Pucha Henza!
04. photograph
05. FRESH!!!
06. Wonderground

8/2 Yumemiru Adolescence at Hot Stage 4:30pm~

Yumemiru Adolescence appeared on Hot Stage with gold costumes used in the MV ”Summer Nude Adolescence”. The audience could not take their eyes off the gorgeous dresses and cute yet mature appearance of Yumemiru Adolescence, who are also teen fashion models.

The live concerts started with the song “Summer Nude Adolescence”. This song is a remake of the famous song “Summer Nude” by Magokoro Brothers. Inheriting this excellent piece of music, Yumemiru Adolescence expressed the feeling of a Japanese hot summer with their brilliant performance.

Fans yelled “Yume-ado!” and the infectious ”Candy-chan” began. The members threw brightly-colored signed balls into the seats during the song. To end, the members and audience swung and threw towels to the song “Hi! Summer Dreamer”.

The audience seemed to feel the beginning of summer from their powerful yet cute performance. Yumemiru Adolescence had stood on the Hot Stage two years in a row and the audience may have been able to see their growth since the previous year.

Setlists:
01. Zettaiteki Sympathy
02. Candy-chan
03. Himawari Heart
04. Hi! Summer Dreamer

8/2 Doll☆Elements at Heat Garage 6:10pm~

Doll☆Elements appeared on the stage with black costumes which became a hot topic later. Heat Garage was packed with their fans who welcomed Doll☆Elements to the stage with warm applause. They had their “First Japan Tour” this year and went abroad to J Series Festival in Jakarta in June. Through these live events, the number of their fans seems to have increased to a great degree.

What was most surprising was their quick costume change. After they left the stage at the end of song, less than 5 seconds later they returned with a new costume. The audience was amazed at the speed of the change and some did not even notice it because of its unbelievable speed.

They sang the song “Kimi no Omoi Todoketai” which will be released on August 19th and the fans shouted and cheered them with their voices, bodies, and everything they had! During the MC, Natsumi Gonda, the leader of Doll☆Elements, said she was happy that their performance could be seen by much more people than last year.

Tokyo Idol Festival 2015 made them determine that they are on the way of success. They will hold a one-man live at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM on August 23th, so if you are interested, watch their performance!