Idols who colored the beginning of 2021!　A look back at the news "9" in the world of two-dimensional idol contents in 2019! Year-end special program

The year 2019 is coming to a close. This year also saw a great deal of excitement for the "THE iDOLM@STER" and "LOVE LIVE!" series, and the 2-D idol content represented by "THE iDOLM@STER" and "LOVE LIVES! The following is a selection of news about idols representing the end of the Heisei era and the beginning of the 2025 era, with a focus on male-oriented works.

1 ◆"iM@S" and "Love Live! Aikatsu! gathered at Tokyo Dome!

⇒1◆" Tales of", "iM@S" and "iM@S" will gather at Tokyo Dome! Report on "Namco Bandai Entertainment Festival" DAY1
⇒ Namco Bandai Entertainment Festival" Day 1 Report Aikatsu! and other idols gathered at the Tokyo Dome!　A long and rich report on "Namco Bandai Entertainment Festival" DAY2!

Looking back on the year 2019 with idol works at the core, one event that cannot be missed is the Namco Bandai Entertainment Festival held at Tokyo Dome from October 19 to 20. Especially on DAY 2, "THE IDOLM@STER 765 PRO ALL STARS", "THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS", "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! Million Stars", "THE iDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS", "THE iDOLM@STER XENOGLOSSIA", "Aikatsu! Aikatsu Stars! Aikatsu Friends! Aikatsu On Parade! Love Live! Sunshine! （In DAY 1, "THE IDOLM@STER SIDEMASTER" also performed, making the concert a kind of idol content summit for 2019.

The "iM@S" and "Aikatsu! introduced a multitude of works that encompassed the history of the productions, while "Love Live! Sunshine! only had the in-production unit "Guilty Kiss" consisting of Rikako Aida, Aika Kobayashi, and Aina Suzuki. Guilty Kiss performed six unit songs in a row, showing off their ability and worldview, and stole the attention and buzz of the dome. series, but the foundation for their success was the "THE IDOLM@STER M@STERS OF IDOL WORLD! and "THE IDOLM@STER 765 MILLIONSTARS HOTCHPOTCH FESTIV@L! and "THE IDOLM@STER 765 MILLIONSTARS HOTCHPOTCH FESTIV@L!", we have accumulated the know-how of live performances by idols from different works and generations. It was a dreamlike space where fans of each work celebrated each other's content after the show.

2 ◆ Voice actor unit "Wake Up, Girls!

⇒ FINAL LIVE ~Memoide no Parade~ report] Saitama Super Arena was filled with great love on the day - the last live with thanks, tears and smiles!

Wake Up, Girls!", the voice actress unit born from the anime "Wake Up, Girls! AUDITION" held in 2012. The seven selected members were given the same names as their real names and sounds as the characters in the anime, and the seven real-life members also worked as a unit in this very new and original project.

It was announced in June 2018 that their unit activities would end. About nine months later, after a final tour that took the girls to various locations including their hometowns, they arrived on stage at Saitama Super Arena, which had been a dream of the girls for many years.

In recent years, many idol works and units have been born and come to an end. While app games have their "end of service" milestones, most of the units that originated from these works have quietly faded away and been forgotten. I think we can say that the last parting for Wagner (fans) was a happy goodbye.

3◆"Shanimas" First Live held and Straylight appeared

I strongly felt that where there is an end, there is also a beginning at "THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 1stLIVE" held on March 9 and 10. 16 new idols from 4 units took the stage for the first time. The venue was Maihama Amphitheater where the seniors of "THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS" held their 1st live 5 years ago.

As you can see from the date, it was the day after the final of Wake Up, Girls! I am sure that many of you were thankful to God that the dates of these two live performances did not overlap. On DAY2, a new unit "Straylight" was announced. It was hard to believe that it was only 9 months ago that the first live and Straylight appeared on stage, but I guess that's how dense the year has been. They are the idols who can make you feel that they are growing every time you see them.

4 ◆Restart of "μ's" in the 9th anniversary year

⇒ "It's so exciting to see our name as μ's in the SSA! Emi Nitta, who plays Honoka Kosaka, is also very excited about "Love Live! Series 9th anniversary presentation report!

Love Live! The "µ's" have broken new ground for idols born in two dimensions, appearing in the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest) in 2015 as the first unit of the "µ's", and their last solo live "Love Live µ's Final LoveLive! ♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪" was held on March 31 and April 1, 2016 at Tokyo Dome. 3 years was both long and short. The nine members who left the words "We will always be μ's" at the Dome finally made a full-fledged restart this year, the 9th anniversary year.

What was impressive this year was the interaction among the three units, μ's, Aqours, and Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Club! series All Night Nippon GOLD" started. The appearance of Aqours and Nijigasaki members one after another on the program, with Emi Nitta and Aozora Tokui as personalities, was a new sight for "Love Live! was a new sight for "Love Live!

And the rising star Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Club also participated in the smartphone app "Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS" smartphone app and the announcement of a TV anime adaptation at their first live. Love Live. festival" to be held at Saitama Super Arena! festival" to be held at the Saitama Super Arena. and the 10th anniversary of the event.

5 ◆"KISARAGI Chihaya" will perform at Anisama 2019

⇒5◆" Aoi Tori/Chihaya Kisaragi" record and memory of "Aoi Tori/Chihaya Kisaragi" marked at Anisama - "Animelo Summer Live 2019 -Story-" DAY1 Highlights & Report

Chihaya Kisaragi from "THE iDOLM@STER" series performed at "Animelo Summer Live 2019 -Story-" (Anisama) DAY1 held at Saitama Super Arena from August 30 to September 1. Taking the stage was voice actress Asami Imai, who plays the role of Chihaya Kisaragi. She was accompanied by a pianist, Duke Pianito.

What made this so unusual was that Chihaya sang only "Aoi Tori" on stage. There is no doubt that "Aoi Tori" is a representative song of KISARAGI Chihaya, but the first appearance of this song (in the official service) was in the arcade version of "THE iDOLM@STER" released in July 2005. Since the purpose of an appearance at a major festival is usually to promote a work or artist, it is a very unusual way to showcase a song that is 14 years old (in the current content) sung alone.

Second, KISARAGI Chihaya's appearance was a secret that was not officially disclosed in advance. It was a stomach-churning experience to sing a song from 14 years ago in a venue where we had no idea how many fans of the work would be present.

However, it also means that the Anisama team asked an artist named "KISARAGI Chihaya" to perform in a place that was not for the promotion of the work, and it is a proof of trust that the expression of Chihaya and the Duke can reach even those who have no prior knowledge of the work. The name "KISARAGI Chihaya" is used in the live video and in the MC on stage, without the name (CV: Imai Asami). In this age when it is no longer a pipe dream to project idols on stage in three dimensions, it was a time that made me want to think about the meaning and magnificence of singing as an idol on stage by voice actors themselves.

6 ◆The future of games whose services have ended / "Tokimeki Idol" and "Idol Connect

Tokimeki Idol", an idol game application provided by Konami, reached the end of its service on January 15, 2019. The service started on March 20, 2018, so you could say it ended too soon. However, it does not mean that the "Tokimeki Idol" content has completely come to an end. An "offline version" that can be played without communication has been released, and a live event titled "Tokimeki Challenge - I'll sing! Tokimeki Idol" live events are still held on a regular basis.

The style of ......, which explores ways to keep the content alive through live performances and CDs even after the main game service ends, reminds me of the title "Idol Connect - AsteriskLive-", which ended its service in 2016! . It was a faithfully crafted work that received high praise, especially for its music and scenario. It was quite a shock that it was forced to end its service after only three months. Such is the case with "Idol Connect," but this work was also released as "Idol Connect - AsteriskLive - ADV Edition," which can be enjoyed offline. In October 2019, three years after the service ended, the related CD album was resold on pixivBOOTH and an online radio started, which became a hot topic in some circles.

When launching new content, works that "might" become big business can move a lot of people and budgets. However, it is not difficult to imagine that there are many restrictions on the development and publicity of closed works. Under such circumstances, what is the driving force for those involved to "struggle" to connect the work with the characters and songs that have been breathed life into it?

7◆"Cinderella Girls" has seven new idols!

In the past year, seven new idols have been added to the "THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS" series: Akari Tsujino, Akira Sunazuka, Riamu Yumemi, Chitose Kurosaki, Senya Shirayuki, Nagi Kugawa, and Sasshi Kugawa (Akari Tsujino will appear in late 2018 to be exact). As for Yumemi Riamu in particular, she may have jumped out of the Imasu community and become one of the most representative characters of 2019.

Since its service launch in 2011, "Cinderella Girls" has continuously added new characters. What made these seven new idols a little different from previous new idol additions was the live "THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 6thLIVE MERRY-GO-ROUNDOME!" held in December 2018. and from that point on, it was clear that these new idols would be one of the pillars of the 2019 expansion. As of this writing, 5 of the 7 characters have voice actors, and Nagi Kugawa and Sasuke Kugawa have live appearances by the people inside.

Although there may be pros and cons to the introduction of seven people with a strong color as a confluent agent, there is no doubt that it has become a major topic of conversation, as seen in the situation where Riamu Yumemi is getting her voice boosted by the results of the "8th Cinderella Girl General Election" voting. Even recently, LiPPS's appearance on NHK's "Shibuyanooto" has dominated the Twitter conversation, as well as their collaboration with artist Yuzu. Cinderella" has been very successful in creating a buzz among a wide range of people, and it is likely that "Cinderella Girls" will continue to be at the center of the conversation in 2020.

8◆"Tokyo 7th Sisters", the next course for the future?

Tokyo 7th Sisters" has been called the first 2-dimensional idol work to hit us with its music and scenario, and the "present" of the year 2034 and the "past" story of the former legendary unit Seventh Sisters, which eventually dissolved. One of the charms of "Tokyo 7th Sisters" is its dual structure, in which fragments of the "past" story intersect with the "present" of the year 2034.

In 2019, "Tokyo 7th Sisters" will shed light on the legendary Seventh Sisters and the world surrounding them through the new chapters "EPISODE 4.0 AXiS" and "EPISODE 0.7 -Melt in the Snow", taking a variety of approaches.

This time, I was going to write about the idea of AXiS, a unit that seems to be a reversal of Seventh Sisters, with the same voice actors and the same composer (kz) as Seventh Sisters, and the impact of the AXiS assault on ......, but at the end of the year, a surprise However, the news came as a surprise at the end of the year.

On December 26, the official Twitter page of "Tokyo 7th Sisters" announced the start of a new chapter, "EPISODE 5.0 -Fall in Love-," which will begin on January 9, 2020 and consist of six episodes. The content of this new chapter is about the "future" of NANASTA, and the idols will appear in a more matured form. The motif of feelings being passed on over time was also depicted in the short animation "t7s Longing for summer Again And Again - Harukaze," but I think this is the first time that the future of Nanasta members and their stories are directly depicted in the anime.

In 2019, perhaps the past has been depicted as an aid to the future. The past and present have been intermingled in the story of "NANASIS", but what will be depicted in the "future" is a matter to watch out for.

9 ◆Start of the last big idol project "IDOLY PRIDE

⇒The media mix project "IDOLY PRIDE" will produce a TV anime and hold a solo event on May 10, 2020!

Numerous two-dimensional idol contents continue to be born in 2019, but at the end of the year, "IDOLY PRIDE," which started on November 27, has quickly increased its presence. Along with the CyberAgent Group, this idol project has the names of Music Rain, a voice actor agency, and Straight Edge, an agent company for writers of light novels and other works.

On December 9, the "1st IDOLY PRIDE Information Release Special Live Broadcast" was held on Abema TV, and I was impressed by the timing of the unveiling of Music Rain's 3rd term students (Kanata Aikawa, Miki Tachibana, Kokona Natsume, Moka Hyuga, and Koharu Miyazawa). Many of you may have been interested in the new generation following Sphere (1st term) and TrySail (2nd term) and came to this program. It is hard to get people to remember individual members in new contents with many newcomers, but at that time, the relationship and connection with the seniors whom everyone knows is a great hook.

QP:flapper, Juki Hanada, Tatsuya Takahashi, and many other great names line up for this project, but what I want to focus on this time is the music aspect: as a trend in idol content for 2019, Tomoya Tabuchi worked on Le☆S☆Ca's music for "Nanasys" and each of the "IDOL Mai Show" The trend for idol content in 2019 has been to bring the names and personalities of creators to the forefront, with top producers such as Shigeru Saito, Yohei Kisara, and Akihiro Tomita working on the music for each of the units in "IDOL Mai Show.

For "IDOLY PRIDE," the names are Masayoshi Oishi, Reiji Okii (TWEEDEES), Katsutoshi Kitagawa (ROUND TABLE), Yu Sakai, Hidekazu Tanaka (MONACA), Yashikin, kz (livetune), Q-MHz and Wicky.Recordings, Recordings, a group of music creators who will make you shudder just by listening to them.

The idol content industry today is dominated by "iM@S" and "Love Live! are by far the strongest in the idol content industry today, and with both series launching new titles, it is a world where it is harder than you might imagine for a latecomer to compete. When I thought about what a new title would need in order to compete in such an environment, I got the impression that "IDOLY PRIDE" had all the ingredients that I thought would be needed to make a new title stand out. The content has just begun and the details are still to come, but it seems certain that this is a work that will give us a premonition of what is to come.

We hope you will enjoy what kind of world idols will show us in 2020.

(Text: Kiri Nakazato)