Enoha Girls Member Honoka Oomoto Dies at Age 16

Last week, when I was going through Japanese idol news sources to write my weekly news roundup, I came across a really sad piece of news: the idol Honoka Oomoto died on 3/21 at the mere age of sixteen and it was reported to be a suicide. I'd never heard of Honoka Oomoto or her …

Retiring From The Idol Fandom (Guest: Jade)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TMRdBdsXKQ&feature=youtu.be Some people say that once you become an idol fan, you stay in the fandom forever, but for Jade, that's not the case. In this podcast, we talk about 48G, Nogizaka46, Kamen Joshi, Jade's experiences meeting idols from those groups, why she left the idol fandom, and what she's into now!

Recommended Idol Albums: Jan-Feb 2018

March is almost done, so I figured I should finally release my favorite albums of January-February 2018. Honestly, I don't think I listen to enough idol albums to make this a monthly thing, so from now on, I'm just going to include my favorite album tracks in my recommended monthly song lists and do a …

Weekly Idol News: 3/19-3/25

Information about AKB's next sousenkyo is out, GEM and Puti Passpo disband, Airi Suzuki's back, Yui Oguri is centering an AKB single, Natsuki Kojima announces graduation, a unit called HOT DOG CAT debuts, Emi Arisaka holds a memorial concert for a fan, and more! This Week’s Releases Singles: 3/21: Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome - WOI! BILLIE …

Weekly Idol News: 3/12-3/18

Momoka Ariyasu's back, Risako Sugaya had a baby girl, Yuka Tano announced graduation, Mayu Watanabe has her first post-AKB drama role, lots of changes in WACK, THE BANANA MONKEYS want to go to a love hotel with you, and more! This Week’s Releases Singles: 3/13: Sakura Cinderella - Hoshigari Girl/Saikai wa Totsuzen ni TEARS - …

Oshimen Time Episode 5: Yuka Eguchi – Happippi (Guest: Rachel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IRQmVaSXiQ The fifth episode of Oshimen Time has been released! Check it out if you'd like to learn about Yuka Eguchi, Happippi, hanging out one on one with your favorite idol, being on your oshimen's birthday committee, and more! Even if you're not particularly interested in Yuka Eguchi/Happippi, I'd recommend skipping to 31:20 if you'd …

Fun Facts About the 2018 WACK Audition

I haven't been following the WACK Audition too closely, but browsing the Japanese interwebs, I found some interesting facts people may or may not know. Nozomu Hirano = Trivago? I think some people were confused why Nozomu started to be called "Toribago". Well, it's actually Trivago, a hotel price comparison site. You can see the …

Weekly Idol News: 3/5-3/11

Some surprising new member, promotion, transfer, graduation, and comeback announcements this week, let's get started! This Week’s Releases Singles: 3/7: BiS - WHOLE LOTTA LOVE/DiPROMiSE callme - Hello No Buddy Hachimitsu Rocket - Hachimitsu Rocket ~Ougon no Shichinin~ Hachimitsu Rocket - Okashi na Watashi to Hachimitsu no Kimi Iketeru Hearts - Rosetta Stone Keyakizaka46 - …

All About Idol Matsuri (Guest: Allyson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrM4JBkFTXo Idol Matsuri was the first, and so far only, idol convention in the US that featured Western guests Beckii Cruel, Ally&Sally, SHEawase, Beri! New Day, and DJ Amaya, as well as the Japanese guests Halko Momoi, RYUTist, and Aither. In this podcast, I talk to Allyson, one of the attendees, about what the convention …

Idol 101: How to Do Idol Calls and Mixes

Have you ever watched an idol live and thought "Wow, that looks so fun, but I have no idea what the fans are saying"? Maybe you've tried to learn some of the calls and mixes, but you can't really remember them. Or maybe you know some of them, but you'd like to learn more. Well, …