A New Idol War Scroll Begins! IDOL Mai Show - Toyosu no Jin" LUNCH SESSION EVENT REPORT

The first "IDOL Mai Show" event "Senran! IDOL Mai Show - Toyosu no Jin" was held at Toyosu PIT in Tokyo on October 26, 2019. This time we report on the first part of the daytime performance.

IDOL Mai SHOW" is a new idol content just launched this fall. The concept is that producers, who are reincarnated warlords, produce idol units and compete for the "Tenka Banner," which only the best idols in the world can fly. While this project may seem like a wild idea, combining the idol warlord era and the Warring States period itself, the staff involved in the project is what makes it so compelling.

Each unit has its own sound producer. NO PRINCESS" is headed by Shigeru Saito, who has produced sound for the "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and Minori Chihara, among others. Lunatic Eyes" is produced by Akihiro Tomita, who has worked with Marei Uchida and Maon Kurosaki. And "X-UC (Ten-UC)" is a unit of "Love Live! and "X-UC (Ten-UC)" will be directed by Yohei Kisara, who developed the "μ's" as a unit in "Love Live! It is also noteworthy that lyricist Nakamura Hisakata, known for his work on "Girls' Revue: Revue Starlight," is in charge of the project's structure.

What kind of content will be featured in the new "IDOL Mai Show" is still shrouded in mystery. However, many fans gathered at Toyosu PIT to witness the moment that may be remembered as the beginning of a new legend.

The event was attended by Sachika Misawa as Yuika Hanazono, Marina Horiuchi as Ami Akeze, and Hisayo Abe as Rabu Kurumozaka from the unit NO PRINCESS, Miho Okazaki as Misuzu Wakatsuki and Yuki Nakajima as Yui Kongoji from the unit Mikazuki Gan, Nanaka Suwa as Risa Hamino from the unit X-UC Maki Hanatani as Sakura Saruno, Reina Hasegawa as Kokoro Kakegawa, Misano Sakai as Aki Anna, Anna Suzuki as Misaki Yurigaoka, Yuna Kitahara as Shiori Kirino, Sakurako Aoyama as Kaori Yamura, Yui Ninomiya as Elina Isayama, and Aoi Yuki Yuuki as Shinobu Sakuma from legend unit "Fool's End Legendary unit Fool's End: Aoi Yuuki as Shinobu Sakuma, Ayana Taketatsu as Nagaho Mori. Guest MC was Tomoaki Takahashi.

The event opened with the stage going dark and the members of NO PRINCESS, Crescent Eyes, and X-UC appeared on stage. They sang and danced to "SENRAN! Idol Tenka Michi e" with gorgeous idol costumes that showed the individuality of each unit. Many of the members were fresh: Sakurako Aoyama was performing on stage for the first time in her life, and high school student Misano Sakai came to the event after finishing her midterm exams that day. When Tomoaki Takahashi, dressed in sexy clothes, appeared as the guest MC, the audience cheered loudly.

The "Aiwaeru Mai Show Check" was held to get to know each member's individuality! The "Beloved Mai Show Check" was a corner to psychologically investigate the conditions of the beloved Mai Show, and included questions such as "What do you do before going to bed? What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? The members were divided into A and B options and talked about the questions "What is the first thing you do before you go to bed? The first to shine in this corner was Marina Horiuchi. When she began to talk about her own world, "There is a dream town within a dream," the host, Mr. Takashi, was intrigued by her premonition of a mysterious girl. When asked, "What do you usually wear to bed? Rena Hasegawa and Yuna Kitahara refused to choose between pajamas and T-shirts, declaring "I don't wear anything when I sleep," to cheers of surprise.

In the announcement corner, it was announced that the number of half-size views of each unit's song video uploaded on YouTube would be evaluated for the "Tengakaban Battle Royal," and the winning team would be chosen as a guest on the Bunka Hoso program. The three units will compete for supremacy in various activities as they will become a team.

The second half of the event was a live part on the stage where each unit's battle banner fluttered in the air. The top performers were Miho Okazaki, who played the crescent-eyed Misuzu Wakatsuki, and Yuki Nakajima, who played Yui Kongoji!　Dressed in Japanese costumes, the two showed fancy and dynamic steps. They took plenty of time to point to the heavens, and their cry of "Lunatic, Eyes! is going to be the highlight of the live performance. Tropical Dream" was a rhythmical and uplifting summer number. It was a happy performance that had the audience swimming all over the stage. After the song, Ms. Okazaki commented, "I was friends with Yukkie, so I'm glad to be able to share my dreams and cheer her up! commented Ms. Okazaki. Nakajima-san and Okazaki-san were having a good time together, saying, "This is fun! They were having a good time together. I felt that if another member, Kido Kabuki, were to join them, they would be invincible.

From NO PRINCESS, Sachika Misawa playing Yuka Hanazono, Marina Horiuchi playing Ami Akease, and Hisayo Abe playing Rabu Kurumozaka appeared and performed "Truth or Dare". They showed their sharp dance moves to the futuristic and stylish sound. （The headset with both hands free (which is common to all units) and the costumes of the cast members with their bodies well formed and their stomachs exposed showed their will to attract the audience through dance as well. After singing "Whatever!" the cast members laughed and said they could feel the excitement and had a good time, but Abe commented that she was so nervous she felt like she was going to throw up, a comment only a first-time performer can make. These three, plus Reiho Kurachi, who plays Shiho Hoshino, make up the four official members of the group.

From X-UC, Nanaka Suwa Naka playing Risa Hamino, Maki Hanaya playing Sakura Saruno, Reina Hasegawa playing Kokoro Kakegawa, Misano Sakai playing Aki Anna, Anna Suzuki playing Misaki Yurigaoka, Yuna Kitahara playing Shiori Kirino, Sakurako Aoyama playing Kaori Yamura, and Yui Ninomiya playing Elina Isayama appeared. The colors of the two songs were quite different and interesting: "Current Xanadu," which has a refreshingly fast pace like the theme song of a robot anime, and the uplifting "Smile x Work!" that brings the story to a grand conclusion with a smile on its face. The common thread that ran through the two songs was the way they showed the importance of formation, with their light steps in sneakers that matched the color of their costumes, and the way the members in the back rows glided forward smoothly as if they had been practicing. With many fresh members, the unit is likely to grow together with the content in the future. Ms. Suwa made the audience laugh when she said, "Risa Hamino is the youngest, but I am the oldest.

The unit Fool's End, with Aoi Yuki playing Shinobu Sakuma and Ayana Taketatsu playing Nagaho Mori, is a legendary unit that stands apart from the other three units. The compelling vocals of "~Hana Arashi~," in which they pursue each other, and "Otomeno Sora," in which the clear high notes gradually grow in strength, are exceptional in their perfection as a unit. It was an interesting attempt to link the perfection of their performance, which they have been performing as the voice actress unit "petit milady," to the persuasive power of a legendary unit. The two, however, still seem to be unfamiliar with the characters, and in the lunchtime session, they performed (with a story) as cool and languid outgoing MCs. When asked how they felt about it, they both responded with a salty "Nothing...," which made MC Takahashi laugh.

The last song was "SENRAN! Idols on the Road to Heaven" performed by NO PRINCESS, Crescent Moon Eyes, and X-UC, which was typical of their first event. A competition to see how many views each unit can get of their song videos on YouTube is currently underway until November 30, 2019, so why not find your favorite unit?

(Reporting and writing by Kiri Nakazato)

Set List]

M01:SENRAN! Idol Tenga Michi e (All)

M02:FANATIC!

M03:Tropical Dream (Crescent Moon Eyes)

M04:Truth or Dare (NO PRINCESS)

M05:Whatever!

M06:Current Xanadu (X-UC)

M07:Smile×Work!

M08:~Hanaarashi~ (Fool's End)

M09:Otomeno Sora (Fool's End)

M10:SENRAN! Idol Tenga Michi e (All)

CD release information
NO PRINCESS 1st SINGLE "Truth or Dare
Release date: January 8, 2020
Price: Limited First Edition CD+DVD 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

＜DVD includes the following contents
Truth or Dare" music clip video

<Contents on CD
Truth or Dare
Lyrics: Sasa Ando Composition/Arrangement: Yamato
Whatever!
　　Lyrics: Sasa Ando, music composed and arranged by John Kanda
Truth or Dare (off vocal)
Whatever!

Price: Normal Edition CD 1,200 yen (excluding tax)

＜Contents of the CD
Truth or Dare
　　Lyrics: Sasa Ando Composition/Arrangement: Yamato
Whatever!
　　Lyrics: Sasa Ando, music composed and arranged by John Kanda
SENRAN! Idol Tenka Michi e
　　lyrics by Nakamura Kanata, music composed and arranged by hisakuni
Truth or Dare (off vocal)
Whatever!
SENRAN! Idol Tenka Michi he （off vocal） ・NO PRINCESS

NO PRINCESS
＜Members
Hanazono Yuika (CV. Misawa Sachika)
Shiho Hoshino (CV. Reiho Kurachi)
Ami Akease (CV. Marina Horiuchi)
Rabu Kurumozaka (CV. Hisayo Abe)

Crescent Eyes 1st SINGLE "FANATIC!
Release date: January 8, 2020
Price: Limited First Edition CD+DVD 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

＜DVD includes the following contents
Music clip video of "FANATIC!

<Contents on CD
FANATIC!
Lyrics: Meko Yamamoto, music composed and arranged by Yosuke Sato
Tropical Dream
　　Lyrics: Meko Yamamoto, music composed and arranged by fu_mou
FANATIC!
Tropical Dream (off vocal)

Price: Normal Edition CD 1,200 yen (excluding tax)

＜Contents of the CD
FANATIC!
　　Lyrics: Meko Yamamoto, music composed and arranged by Yosuke Sato
Tropical Dream
　　Lyrics: Meko Yamamoto, music composed and arranged by fu_mou
SENRAN! To the idol Tenka Michi
　　Words by Nakamura Kanata, music composed and arranged by hisakuni
FANATIC!
Tropical Dream (off vocal)
SENRAN! Idol Tenka Michi he (off vocal)

Crescent Moon Eyes
<Members
Futaba Ayase (CV. KIDO Kiwuki)
Misuzu Wakatsuki (CV. Miho Okazaki)
Yui Kongoji（CV. Yuki Nakajima)

X-UC 1st SINGLE "Current Xanadu
Release date: January 8, 2020
Price: Limited First Edition CD+DVD 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

＜DVD includes
Music clip video of "Current Xanadu

<Contents on CD> 1.
Current Xanadu
Lyrics: Erica Masaki Composition: Kentaro Fujii (HANO)
Arrangement: Shinji Hinao(HANO), Kentaro Fujii(HANO)
2.Smile×Work!
Lyrics: Yohei Matsui Composition/Arrangement: Satoru Takada
3.Current Xanadu (off vocal)
Smile×Work! (off vocal)
Price: Normal Edition CD 1,200 yen (excluding tax)

＜Contents of the CD
Current Xanadu
　　Lyrics: Erica Masaki Composition: Kentaro Fujii (HANO)
Arrangement: Shinji Hinao (HANO), Kentaro Fujii (HANO)
2. Smile×Work!
　　Lyrics: Yohei Matsui Composition/Arrangement: Satoru Takada
SENRAN! To Idol Tenga Road
　　Lyrics: Nakamura Kanata, music composed and arranged by hisakuni
Current Xanadu (off vocal)
Smile×Work!
SENRAN! Idol Tenka Michihe (off vocal)

X-UC
＜Members
Risa Hamino (CV: Nanaka Suwa)
Sakura Saruno (CV. Maki Hanaya)
Koharu Hoshizuki (CV. Moe Toyoda)
Kokoro Kakegawa (CV. Reina Hasegawa)
Aki Anna (CV. Misano Sakai)
Misaki Yurigaoka (CV. Anna Suzuki)
Shiori Kirino (CV. Yuna Kitahara)
Kaori Yamura (CV. Sakurako Aoyama)
Elina Isayama (CV. Yui Ninomiya)
Misao Kiyomi (CV. Erika Ishitobi)