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Idols Old and New Collaborate Together on Stage! Showa Idol Archives Special Packs the Full House and Delivers Big Fan Satisfaction

新旧アイドルによるコラボステージも実現! 満員御礼でファン大満足の『昭和アイドルアーカイブス スペシャル』
Idols Old and New Collaborate Together on Stage! Showa Idol Archives Special Packs the Full House and Delivers Big Fan Satisfaction

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Showa Idol Archives Special was held on June 26, 2017, at Tokyo Culture Culture. This event was a special edition of Showa Idol Archives, a talk event series focusing on Showa-era idols held monthly at Jimbocho’s Gakki Cafe. Its participating members included Sunmyu~, covering hits by earlier Sun Music label idols, Hakoiri♡Musume, covering idol hits from the 80s and 90s, Shohjo-tai’s second generation, covering songs from its first generation, Nana Minamiguchi, GEM member and fan of Seiko Matsuda, Showa idol fan Nene from Ichigo Milk Iro ni Somaritai., a Showa idol fan, and Ange☆Reve’s Haruka Tachibana, Candies fan and Showa Idol Archives host.

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In addition to these currently active idols, former Onyako Club members Kazuko Utsumi and Rika Tatsumi joined the event as special guests. Featuring a special cast of idols new and old, it was a very special event indeed!

Each Showa Idol Archives event is split into idol theme. Each theme consists of a talking part and cover corner, with the talking part centered on discussing that idol artist’s charms while listening to their music, and the cover corner dedicated to performing covers of their hit songs.

However this special event had four themes: Onyanko Club, Seiko Matsuda, Sun Music Idols, and Shohjo-tai. For more information about which members led each theme and covered which songs, see the time table included at the end of this report.

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Photo by Kenji Harada

Both the talk part featuring former Onyanko Club members and the collaborative stage, drew a notable amount of attention. The talk part was conducted as a chance for current idols to pose questions to veterans Utsumi and Tatsumi.

Hiruna Inoue from Hakoiri♡Musume asked, “What can I do to achieve the same level of cuteness as the two of you?” to which Utsumi replied, “How can you get any cuter than you already are!” and then added some advice for her to, “Take lots of supplements.” (laugh) Tatsumi’s answer was, “Exercise regularly and eat healthy foods.”

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Nene from Ichigo Milk Iro ni Samaritai asked, “What were the things you enjoyed most back then?”

Utsumi’s response was, “Well it was during the bubble (economic boom) back then, but I had many opportunities to go abroad, and flew first class.” Tatsumi interjected, “This is the first time I’ve ever heard anything about that! I didn’t have that experience!” (laugh) Utsumi added, “While overseas, we rented Louis Vuitton,” and during the course of the talk part, many other rare stories came out. Tatsumi followed up with the remarks, “We didn’t get very much of an allowance, except for when we went abroad. Because we usually didn’t have a lot of money, I was happy to find that Fuji TV’s cafeteria was all-you-could-eat.”

Photo by Kenji Harada

Photo by Kenji Harada

From Ange☆Reve’s Haruka Tachibana, “Could you tell us how you think current idols differ?”

Tatsumi answered, “During our time there were no scripts so each time it was all or nothing. Because we never new what we were in for, it was a time when you had to be resourceful.” Utsumi replied, “I never knew what was going to happen so I was always scared.” Then she added, “But current idols excel at both singing and dancing. They really practice a lot. When I watched videos of Onyanko Club on YouTube in preparation for today, I was surprised at how bad we were. (laugh)”

Finally Utsumi had a question for the current idols. “Before it was normal to appear on television, but now concerts are more common, and I so I wonder… What is that like?” Hakoiri♡Musume’s Momomi Wagatsuma answered, “Often we interact with fans after performing, which means we can immediately hear their impressions. We also receive opinions through SNS, so there’s a feeling of closeness.” Hiruna followed up by adding, “It’s like being wrapped in a warm atmosphere.”

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Photo by Kenji Harada

After the talking part concluded, it was time for the collaborative former Onyanko Club member guest stage! Seeing as it was a truly limited opportunity, the audience was immediately excited.

During Rika Tatsumi and Hakoiri♡Musume’s “Watashi wa Rika-chan”, Rika came out during her main part in the song, revising its original movements and formations. Then, Hakoiri♡Musume and Ichigo Milk Iro ni Somaritai welcomed out Kazuko Utsumi to sing “Natsuyasumi wa Owaranai”. Host Haruka Tachibana also joined in for a truly special collaboration. The cover was just like the original. Utsumi’s voice sounded just as beautiful during her part, and the fans that had gathered were entranced by it.

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Photo by Kenji Harada

Following Onyanko Club, next up was the Seiko Matsuda theme, with Sunmyu~ and GEM’s Nana Minamiguchi. Sunmyu’s Misuzu Nishizono and Sena Niihara’s unit Nishihara-san performed during the cover portion, singing an acoustic version of “Akai Sweet Pea”, while GEM’s Nana Minamiguchi sang “Hadashi no Kisetsu” solo, both of which were special features.

During the following Sun Music Idol theme’s cover portion, Sunmyu~ performed a rare “Sun Music Medley” from the time of their debut. The medley included the hits “Nagisa no Balcony” by Seiko Matsuda, “Kuchibiru Network” by Yukiko Okada, “Akai Hanataba” by Michio Nakajima, and “Lipstick” by Junko Sakurada.

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What makes these events really special is getting to hear idol artists sing in a different voice than they usually do at their own concerts.

The last theme, Shohjo-tai, featured an arrangement of current and older hits and a cover of “Nagisa no Dance Party” by Shohjo-tai’s second generation. With it being a new summer song, it was outstanding how perfect it sounded.

Photo by Kenji Harada

Photo by Kenji Harada

After reaching the end of all of the event’s themes, all of the performers took part during one final performance. Everyone sang a cover of Eriko Tamura’s “Little Darling”, and with that, the Showa Idol Archives Special came to a close.

Although this was the series’ first attempt at a special event like this, you could say it was a huge success, garnering much enthusiasm and satisfaction. Wondering what another special event would look like, one can only hope there’ll be a next time for this kind of special event from Jimbocho Gakki Cafe’s Showa Idol Archives.

Photo by Kenji Harada

Photo by Kenji Harada

 

Translated by Jamie K

Showa Idol Archives SPECIAL
Date : June 26, 19:00~
Venue : Tokyo Culture Culture

Haruka Tachibana (Ange☆Reve), Hakoiri♡Musume, Sunmyu~, Nana Minamiguchi (GEM), Ichigo Milk Iro ni Somaritai., Shōjo-tai
Guest : Rika Tatsumi and Kazuko Utsumi (Onyanko Club)

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Related Artists : Ange☆Reve GEM
Author
Toshiro Arai

A producer of website "TOKYO IDOL NET", which "photography" and "idol" is its concept. He also writes for Tokyo Idol Project, and so on.

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