Kobushi Factory As Secret Guest For Semi-finals! University Idol Dance Competition “UNIDOL ...
Cinderella Story for Waseda Girls! Wasejo Nante Yobanaide Win UNIDOL 2015 Summer!
Sponsored Links
As they had done in the dead of winter, female university students from all over Japan assembled at Zepp Diver City to battle it out in the idol copy dance battle royale known as UNIDOL (a combination of the words “university” and “idol”). With semi-finals taking place in Tokai as well as Kyushu, Kansai, and Kanto, it was the biggest UNIDOL ever!
Here is a summary of the teams that made it to the finals and the songs they performed:
zipper (Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University)
Kyushu representatives zipper gave an energetic performance full of songs from down south. However, the selection of Morning Musume.’s melancholy “Resonant Blue” was an unusual choice.
Rev. from DVL – LOVE –arigatou-
Morning Musume. – Resonant Blue
HKT48 – Kimi no Koto ga Sukiyaken
zipper Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/zipper_acm
Wagahai wa Dol de Aru (Nanzan University)
Champions of the Tokai region, Wagahai wa Dol de Aru showed that they weren’t just clever young women with a soft spot for Natsume Soseki (their name seems to be taken from his famous satirical novel “I am a Cat”, Wagahai wa Neko de Aru). Tapping the power of their most famous local idols (SKE48 and Team Syachihoko) and nostalgia for their childhoods (Buono!) along with some humor, they should be a team to watch out for in the future.
SKE48 – Banzai Venus
Buono! – Rottara Rottara (Lotta Love Lotta Love)
Team Syachihoko – Koibito wa Sniper
Wagahai wa Dol de Aru Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/waga_dol
SADJD (Edogawa University)
UNIDOL veterans SADJD were hampered by blinding stage lights and some miscues with their visuals but managed to fit a variety of songs from different groups into the 10 minutes they were allotted. Winning their spot via online voting, their set list was full of songs which seemed to emphasize audience participation and recognition over technical performance.
UPUPGIRLS (KARI) – Itadaki wo Mezase
SUPER☆GiRLS – Gira Gira Revolution
Luce Twinkle Wink – You are a star
Idol College – True End Player
iDol Street – Onegai Moonlight
SADJD Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/koisurume_sadjd
na-nam (Meiji University)
Placing 3rd in the afternoon wild card bracket, Meiji’s na-nam mixed GEM, ANGERME, and Cheeky Parade with Morning Musume for a time-traveling, high-energy set. Their formation during “Gashinshotan” was precise but attempting to match the power of Cheeky Parade or GEM is something that few can even come close to replicating.
GEM – Just Call Me
ANGERME – Gashinshotan
Morning Musume – Love Machine
Cheeky Parade – M.O.N.ST＠R
na-nam Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/nanam_ud2015
kimowota☆7 (Hosei University)
kimowota☆7 showed off their goods collections via an onscreen video and semi-obscure interests with a selection of songs that few casual idol fans would recognize. Adding to the confusion were stage lights that made it very difficult to focus on their performance. It was an extreme case of sensory overload.
Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome – Seishun Chronicle
HKT48 – Wink wa 3-kai
Idol College – Seifuku Koi Monogatari
Lovely★DOLL – GO!! MY WISH
kimowota☆7 Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimowota_7
LolliPop (Musashi University)
LolliPop rushed the stage with a wall of 30 members performing “Verishuvi” before switching to 7 for palet’s “Believe in Yourself” and then 5 for the now forever sealed TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE classic “Onaji Kimochi”. With a surplus of members, they were able to transition from song to song smoothly and maintained their energy which was returned severalfold by the audience.
Sakura Gakuin – Verishuvi
palet – Believe in Yourself!
TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE – Onaji Kimochi
Cheeky Parade – BUN BUN NINE9’
PASSPO☆ – Material girl
LolliPop Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/LolliPop634
Momo Kyun (Waseda University)
Taking the stage in outfits very similar to those worn by Cheeky Parade, Momo Kyun’s carefully selected selection was plagued by blinding lights and some overly enthusiastic classmates (or pinchike).
Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku – Mikakunin Chugakusei X
Andante – HimeKyun Fruit Can
Cheeky Parade – Cheeky dreamer
SUPER☆GiRLS – Ganbatte Seishun
AKB48 – Iiwake Maybe
Momo Kyun Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/momokyun_waseda
Yutoridonburi – (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Hello! Project (and Up-Front) exclusive group Yutoridonburi challenged the belief that it was not possible to do well at UNIDOL without a diverse set list. Including Kobushi Factory’s “Nen ni wa Nen”, leaning back to reverse kecha Maimi Yajima’s (℃-ute) image on the screen, and even carrying around one of the members just like in “UPUP Typhoon”, their passion was infectious.
Berryz Kobo – Special Generation
S/mileage – Watashi, Choito Kawaii Urabancho
Kobushi Factory – Nen ni wa Nen
S/mileage – Yattaruchan
℃-ute – Massara Blue Jeans
UPUPGIRLS (KARI) – UPUP Typhoon
Yutoridonburi Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/yutoridonburi
Momo no Kanzume (Waseda University)
Another team from Waseda, Momo no Kanzume opened up a tin of various idol songs, attempting to grab the hearts of fans from all backgrounds. If the members were responsible for producing the videos playing on the screen during their performance, they should have a bright future working with idols even if it’s behind the camera.
Morning Musume. ’14 – Password is 0
Akishibu project – Manatsu no Serenade
AKB48 – Flying Get
BiS – nerve
Team Syachihoko – Sokosoko Premium
Momo no Kanzume Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/momokan_waseda
Pumpy☆*s (Hosei University)
Recreating the beginning of Yumemiru Adolescence’s “Kagayake! Yume Award 2014″ complete with the overture, Pumpy☆*s’ second trip to the finals started strong. However, the floor area became covered in shredded tissues during “The Tissue ~Tomaranai Seishun~” and it kind of went downhill from there. It will be exciting to see if they can fine-tune their performance to have the same energy and power of their first 2 songs going for a full 10 minutes at the next UNIDOL finals.
Yumemiru Adolescence – Stealth Bukai 25:00
Morning Musume. ’14 – What is LOVE?
Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku – The Tissue ~Tomaranai Seishun~
SKE48 – Oki Doki
Morning Musume. – The☆Peace
Pumpy☆*s Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/pumpys_pps
Tokyo Performance Doll
The acrobatic and athletic Tokyo Performance Doll took the stage as the secret guest, dancing for almost the entire 15 minutes they were on stage, performing 4 songs, which included their debut single “Brand New Story” and latest hit “Dreamin'”.
SPH mellmuse (Sophia University)
Despite being the runner up or the winner since 2013, SPH mellmuse was shocked when they did not win anything during the previous UNIDOL Winter 2014-15), moving them to change up their strategy. With near surgical precision, they blazed through songs that showed off their acclaimed performance skills as well as their ability to move a crowd.
Morning Musume. – Ren’ai Hunter
Team Syachihoko – Pizza Desu!
High-King – Daite yo! please go on
AKB48 – Ponytail to Shushu
SPH mellmuse Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/SPH48
Tomboys☆ (Toyo University)
Although the notorious bright stage lights again threatened the audience with long term vision damage, the cute and spunky performance of Tomboys☆ made it difficult to turn away. Full of hot summer songs, it was like trying to stop staring at the white sand on a sunny August afternoon.
Lovely★DOLL – Nagareboshi
SUPER☆GiRLS – Tokunatsu High Touch
PASSPO☆ – Natsuzora Dash
SKE48 – Aishiteraburu
Tomboys☆ Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tomboys_tmby
Cotton Candy (Kyoto Women’s University)
Perennial contenders since UNIDOL began including universities outside of the Kanto region, Cotton Candy might have had the most entertaining performance of the night which had a story to it for the audience to follow. Creating their own version of Dorothy Little Happy’s “Demo Sayonara” and incorporating several wardrobe changes, it was a shame that their final song was cut short due to time restrictions.
SKE48 – Pareo wa Emerald
℃-ute – Tokkaiko Junjo
Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku – Kari Keiyaku no Cinderella
Dorothy Little Happy – Demo Sayonara
NMB48 – Kitagawa Kenji
Cotton Candy Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/CottonCandy_KWU
Wasejo Nante Yobanaide (Waseda University)
Standing on the UNIDOL stage for the final time, Wasejo Nante Yobanaide seemed determined to go out on top as their performance left no gaps, songs transitioning into each other as tightly as their dance formations. It would have been incredible to see one of the members do an “Akari-Ban” during “Chopper☆Chopper” but, with 5 songs zipping by in 10 minutes, they already had their work cut out for them. Even though their name makes fun of the bad reputation that female Waseda students have for being harsh and agressive, Wasejo Nante Yobanaide sparkled brightly as they left everything they had on stage.
Morning Musume – Wakuteka Take a chance
AKB48 – Beginner
UPUPGIRLS (KARI) – Chopper☆Chopper
Momoiro Clover Z – CONTRADICTION
AKB48 – 10nen Zakura
Wasejo Nante Yobanaide Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/waseyoba
Candy holic (Otsuma Women’s University)
One of the fresh new faces of UNIDOL, Candy holic had the audience in danger of catching diabetes with their sweet performance which was highlighted by a heart-stopping costume change. Out of all the teams which took on Cheeky Parade, they might have been the most cheeky. However, their final song suffered from too much bass in the mix, something that can easily be fixed.
Morning Musume. – Yashinteki de Ii jan
Cheeky Parade – C.P.U!?
Lovely★DOLL – High Jump!!
AKB48 – Manatsu no Sounds good!
Candy holic Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Candy_holic_11
winK♡ – (Kitasato University)
As one of the traditionally stronger teams, winK♡ fought their way into the finals by taking 1st place in the afternoon wild card tournament. Adhering strictly to the formations used by the groups that originally performed the songs (most importantly, 5 members for Dorothy Little Happy), they even formed the human pyramid during NMB48’s “Oh My God!”
SUPER☆GiRLS – Joshiryoku Paradise
Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku – Ume
Dorothy Little Happy – Koi wa Hashiridashita
NMB48 – Oh My God!
winK♡ Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/winK_kitasato
After an extended break where audience members could vote for their favorite team, which would factor into the placings, a video set on the bottom of the sea began playing to reveal that there would actually be more than just one secret guest as there had been for past UNIDOLs. Shouts rang out as soon as the emblems of GEM and Cheeky Parade floated down the screen.
GEM
Dressed in all black, GEM got Zepp Diver City rocking with their anthem “We’re GEM” and upcoming single “Baby,Love me!”
Cheeky Parade
Cheeky Parade had the entire floor dancing along with them to “Mugendai Shojo ∀”, “Colorful Starlight”, and “Cheeky Fighter”. As one of the most covered groups of the night, the heated response from the audience as well as other performers was intense.
Having invited 3 popular groups known for their high level of dance ability, the organizers of UNIDOL will have a difficult time when it comes to booking a secret guest for the next finals that can match or surpass the extravagance of Summer 2015.
Awards Ceremony
The teams returned to the stage for the awards ceremony, nervously standing shoulder to shoulder and hoping that they would be called upon. Tomboys☆ (Toyo University) were the first to be called, winning yukata from Furisode Ondine. Pumpy☆*s (Hosei University) took the Rakuten prize, which earned them Kobo e-readers. LolliPop (Musashi University) won the TV Tokyo prize, which meant that they would be performing with the station’s mascot Nanana, a giant anthropomorphized banana.
Cotton Candy (Kyoto Women’s University) won 3rd place which was 50,000 yen from employment recruiting startup Wantedly. SPH mellmuse (Sophia University) found redemption as they were awarded 2nd place, earning them 50,000 yen and 100,000 Tada Copy points, which should come in handy when they’re out promoting their performances. It was a storybook ending for Wasejo Nante Yobanaide (Waseda University) when they were announced as the champions in their final UNIDOL. In addition to 200,000 yen, all 10 members would receive 8-inch Windows tablets from Oceanize, and a 20-person party from the Watami chain of izakaya.
In an explosion of metallic confetti from the rafters, UNIDOL 2015 Summer came to an end. It was a night full of drama as Wasejo Nante Yobanaide left their final UNIDOL with the top prize and SPH mellmuse (Sophia University) bouncing back from their Valentine’s Day disappointment. With 51 teams from 41 universities scattered throughout Japan, it was the biggest UNIDOL to date but the next one should be even bigger and the competition will only get tougher.
Results
1st Place – Wasejo Nante Yobanaide (Waseda University)
2nd Place – SPH mellmuse (Sophia University)
3rd Place – Cotton Candy (Kyoto Women’s University)
Furisode Ondine Prize – Tomboys☆ (Toyo University)
Rakuten Prize – Pumpy☆*s (Hosei University)
TV Tokyo Prize – LolliPop (Musashi University)
Related Links
UNIDOL Official site: unidol.jp
UNIDOL Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/unidol7
UNIDOL Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/unidol_exco
Sponsored Links
Tokyo Performance Doll GEM Cheeky Parade
Kai Okudara
Writer, researcher, photographer, foodie, KSDD
NEXT
[Exclusive Program] Tokyo GIrls’ Update TV #006 : SBY in Shibuya109 & Pikarin’s Cosplay
PREV
Idols, Music, and Books! Bookdol Union Report Featuring the Best Detailed Ever Idol Otaku Manga “Million Doll”
Rival Schools Dance Battle Showdown! Meiji University’s Copia Wins UNIDOL Winter 2014-15
