More details have been released following the announcement that AV actress (adult video), and Ebisu Muscats member, Yua Mikami would be debuting in a Korean idol group this March.
For those of you who are not familiar with the NHK annual Kouhaku, it is a concert that is meant to celebrate the New Year in Japan. This concert has some of the best musical acts in all of Japan, and this concert is meant to be a reward for a year’s worth of hard work. Some of the J-Pop groups that made it this year include AKB48, Nogizaka46, Perfume, and NMB48. But you might be asking yourself, who did not make it this year? Well, I am going to list a few J-Pop acts that may have been snubbed by NHK. Some of which for good reason, and some of which made absolutely no sense. Acts such as Momoiro Clover Z, Rev. from DVL, and Cheeky Parade, did not make the lineup, but I will focus on four acts in particular. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Harajuku’s finest did not make it into the NHK Kouhaku lineup this year. To be 100% honest, I can see why. Even though I am a huge fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, I, as well as thousands of her fans, have to agree that she did not go as hard as previous years, especially 2013 and 2014. She had two big releases the entire year in “Mondai Girl” and “Crazy Party Night”, and the general consensus is that “Crazy Party Night” is one of her weaker singles. This year there was no album release and Pamyu did not make it to the United States to perform (she was close to going to J-Pop Summit in San Francisco this year but management backed her out at the last minute). Basically, compared to what we have seen of her, this was not the best year for Pamyu, and thus she got snubbed off of this year’s NHK Kouhaku. But what I did like about this year was that this year was kind of a means to relax, especially given all she has done in previous years. She has gone hard as a mother since the debut of “PONPONPON” back in 2011. I will still be here to support her no matter what. If she wants in on NHK Kouhaku next year however, she may need to release more than two singles. HKT48 If you did not know this interesting tidbit of trivia, HKT48 was not supposed to be in the NHK Kouhaku last year. That spot was reserved for Nogizaka46, but after Yamato Rina had a scandal that involved breaking the law, Nogizaka46 was booted off of the lineup and subbed in with HKT48. Given that Nogizaka46 has done nothing wrong to get kicked off of the lineup this year, they have finally earned that long overdue NHK Kouhaku spot. Unfortunately for HKT48, that means they get the short end of the stick. While HKT48 had a few solid releases this year, such as “12 Byou” and “Shekarashika!”, those two singles alone were not enough to secure a spot. HKT48’s snub will not exactly affect members who have been on an AKB48 senbatsu, such as Miyawaki Sakura and Sashihara Rino. However, for the HKT48-centric members, such as Moriyasu Madoka, Murashige Anna, and Matsuoka Natsumi, this affects them a whole lot more. SKE48 This is probably the biggest snub on the 48G side of things. Yes, SKE48 is not in the NHK Kouhaku lineup this year, but the bigger question would be, why did they get snubbed? I would say the biggest reason had to be all of the members who graduated this year alone. Two members in particular had the most stopping power in the entire lineup, and both of those members (Matsui Rena and Furukawa Airi) have now graduated. Things are a little shaky in Sakae right now, to the point where Matsui Jurina had to cut her AKB48 kennin off. This is an idol unit that is somehow going through a “rebuilding phase”, and releasing only two singles this year did not help their cause (no, we are not counting the Love Crescendo single or any of the sub-unit singles). I am by no means insulting the lineup or any of the members; I do like Shibata Aya, Tani Marika, Kumazaki Haruka, and Takayanagi Akane. Unfortunately for all of them, SKE48 will have to regroup and wait until next year to secure a Kouhaku spot. Like most rebuilding teams in sports, just get through the present in order to focus on future goals. It may suck now, but it will be worth it in the future. I hope Matsui Jurina knows that… Ebisu Muscats lol In all honesty, there was no chance that the Ebisu Muscats, even during their revival, could make NHK Kouhaku. Speaking as a fan of the Muscats since 2010, even when they were in their prime (2012-2013), they had no chance. I cannot speak for NHK management, but if an idol group with av stars makes NHK Kouhaku, would that raise a few problems? The funny thing is, on the Ebisu Muscats’ variety show, they would throw a Kouhaku-style performance set, complete with costumes and parodies. This was the only time I saw my Ebisu Muscats oshimen, Rukawa Rina, perform “Aitakatta” by AKB48. That was one of the greatest moments I had seen of her on that entire show, ever. Basically, the Ebisu Muscats may never get into an NHK Kouhaku lineup for family-friendly reasons, and that is a-ok. Those are the entries that missed their spot on NHK Kouhaku. Did I miss anyone? Were there even bigger snubs? Let me know in the comments below. -Nathan (L4verra) Guess who’s back. Back again. Muscats back. Tell a friend. After weeks of risqué teaser photos all over the main Ebisu Muscats site, the Ebisu Muscats of 2015 lineup has finally been revealed. For those of you who were fans of the original Muscats, featuring Yoshizawa Akiho, Hatsune Minori, Kishi Aino, and Rukawa Rina, unfortunately they are no longer in the lineup. This new lineup does continue the trend of consisting mainly of AV idols and gravure idols. I am real stoked to see the Muscats come back. What I like about this lineup is that some of the new members could have very well been Ebisu Muscats back in the early 2010s, while others are rather surprising additions. However, this article will focus on four members in particular. These four members caught my eye once I found out they made the Muscats ‘15 roster, and I am hyped to see what they’ll be able to do once the variety show starts airing. Basically, these are my personal choices for a top four. I’m writing about these four ladies because I believe they may do amazing things during their tenures as Muscats, and I may even compare these said four members with Muscats of the past. Like my previous articles regarding the Ebisu Muscats, I am not responsible for anything you see if you search any of the members on Google Images. You may see some NSFW images if you are curious about any of the members, so make sure you have Safe Search on if you are curious. Basically, this article can potentially be NSFW. You have been warned. Other than that, let’s begin, shall we? Here are my Top 4 Ebisu Muscats of 2015. #4 Kana Yume Oh boy…this lovely lady. Let me just say that if the Muscats hadn’t broke up in 2013, Kana Yume would be a lock for the lineup. Since they brought the Muscats back, she’s a lock for the ‘15 lineup. There’s someone I am willing to compare Kana Yume to, and some people may not agree with it. She is the Muscats ‘15 version of Yoshizawa Akiho. I see a lot of traits that Acky had back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. First of all, she is just as drop dead gorgeous as Yoshizawa Akiho. Second, she is not afraid to show herself off, even if the way she does it is rather risqué. One can go on Kana Yume’s Instagram page just to find out what I am talking about. Third, she has the center vibe. I could see Kana Yume center an Ebisu Muscats ’15 single similar to how Acky did. The amount of potential that Kana Yume has with the Muscats is high; let’s see if she can capitalize on it. #3: Kojima Minami This is one of the AV idols who I believe should have made the Ebisu Muscats roster a long, long time ago. Besides her high pitched voice, she fit the mold of the Muscats quite well I must say. I always thought Kojima Minami had that “girl next door” look that some idols do, such as Nishino Nanase of Nogizaka46 or Watanabe Miyuki of NMB48/AKB48. Maybe that’s just me. She was born in 1992, which was the same year as Shinohara Saemi and Mizuki Uruha. Those were two Muscats who were on the lineup in 2012. When I found out that the Muscats were going to come back, I was already contemplating who would make the lineup. Needless to say, she was one of my choices. I see Kojima Minami as a possible next-gen Kishi Aino. In my opinion, she looks like she can lead the new squad the same way Kishi Aino did for a couple of years. The new Ebisu Muscats will need a leader anyway, so why not have Kojimina step up? I believe she led a Sexy-J lineup, which was a J-Pop lineup similar to what the Muscats were doing. That definitely helps her case. Is Kojimina going to be her new nickname? I’m down with that. #2: Ayano Nana The Muscats ’15 lineup has its fair share of surprises. Ayano Nana may be the biggest surprise of them all. No, I did not expect someone like her to make it on the lineup. I have seen her videos on YouTube where she is interviewed for some of her AV-based stuff, and I will honestly say that she has no personality. Besides being cute, I was kind of bored with her. To see that she made this lineup caught me off guard. I have this weird vibe that she will be a member stuck in the third row of promotional images for singles and what now. That is a spot I really don’t want her to settle in, because I know what happens to Muscats who get stuck in the third row, especially when they have no personality. The reason why Ayano Nana is so high on my Top 5 is because there’s one Muscat who I can compare her to. Basically, Ayano Nana is the Mizuki Uruha of the Muscats ’15. I’m guessing you’ve never really heard of Mizuki Uruha, but basically she was a Muscat who barely had enough screen time and didn’t exactly show off her personality. Yet, she was one of the cutest girls I’d ever seen. I was a fan of Uruha when she was around because of how much vast potential she has sitting in the third row. Unfortunately, she did not last very long, and was out of the lineup for less than 6 months. The last thing I want for Ayano Nana is to have the same fate Mizuki Uruha did. Come on Nana. Show me what you got. #1: Sakura Yura You should have seen this coming a mile away. Yes, my number one member of the Muscats ’15 is Sakura Yura. And yes, she now succeeds Rukawa Rina as my Ebisu Muscats oshimen. What more can I say about Sakura Yura that hasn’t been mentioned already? First of all, she looks like she can fit right in with HKT48, since she has the cute vibe that is rather rare among the Ebisu Muscats. Secondly, she has also done some J-Pop work before. She had a duo unit called P*cherry alongside former Ebisu Muscat Sakuragi Rin, as well as some solo work with musical artist PARKGOLF. Lastly, she has an AV career. She has a resume meant for the Ebisu Muscats. Once the Muscats were going to come back, I already knew Sakura Yura was going to clinch a spot. There’s no way an AV idol that cute would miss a spot on the Muscats. You already know that I am going to call her the Rukawa Rina of the Muscats ’15. Just think about how many similarities the two have: the super cute look, the fact that they both look really good in pigtails, and the fact that it’s rather surprising to see both Rukawa Rina and Sakura Yura as AV idols. I already imagine Sakura Yura as the lead for an Ebisu Muscats unit that resembles the Pretty Cure anime series, just like Rukawa Rina did a few years back. I was excited to see Sakura Yura on this lineup. I am already excited to see what she will bring to the table once the Muscats ’15 come into full swing. Also, this Sakura is better than the HKT48 one. Just sayin’. That ends my Top 4 Members of the Muscats ’15. There were a few members I may have missed, such as Uehara Ai, Okita Anri, Tia, Hoshino Nami, and Amatsuka Moe. Even some of the former Margarines are members of the new Muscats! Remember them? They were idol group formed to pay massive debts. The reason why I didn’t include them on this list is because I can’t say much about anybody else. I do not know much about anybody I missed on this countdown so I really can’t give an honest opinion on the others. I have known of the Top 4 I listed way before the roster reveal, especially Sakura Yura. I just want to start watching the variety show now and see what these ladies have to offer. There are some big shoes to fill, since the Ebisu Muscats of 2008-2013 nearly exceeded all expectations. Let us see if these Muscats, especially these four, can do just that. -Nathan (L4verra) It has been almost a year since the Ebisu Muscats Facebook page was updated and some 2 years since the lineup disbanded. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, this post came along. It says something when there’s a countdown page on the Ebisu Muscats website. What is it exactly? Why put the time and effort to make a countdown regarding a group that disbanded some 2 years ago? Well, a few things come to mind, especially regarding the magnitude of this announcement. On this article, I am going to make guesses as to what this announcement may be. We won’t know exactly what it is until July 2nd, but whatever it is, it sure as hell feels like it will live up to the hype. When I write this, I leave you with this warning: the women I am going to mention on this article may have another career besides the lovely world of Japanese pop idols. Simply put, a majority of them are in the AV (Adult Video) Industry in Japan, so the second you search up one of them on Google Images, you may see some images that are a little explicit. So please take this as a warning: this article may not be safe for work. While the article itself is completely safe, I cannot control what you do the second you close this article, so just keep that in mind as you read. Ready? Here are the predictions for the big Ebisu Muscats announcement! The Ebisu Muscats Reunion This one is the easy choice. A lot of women seemed to come and go among the Ebisu Muscats roster. Imagine if management somehow brought them all back for a concert, variety show, or even an unreleased single. All your favorite Ebisu Muscats, from Asami Yuma, Kishi Aino, Yoshizawa Akiho, and so on, could come back one more time. To be honest, I would sure as hell like to see my original kami oshi, Rukawa Rina, perform J-Pop songs with the Ebisu Muscats one final time. Whether that would be the classic “Banana Mango High School” or something borrowed from AKB48 like “Heavy Rotation”, it would be a blast to see her again. However, there is pretty reasonable doubt that a reunion may not actually happen. Given that a lot of the Muscats had ties with Japanese Adult Video companies, those ties, for the most part, are gone. A few Ebisu Muscats retired or are retiring from the AV industry, including Kishi Aino, Asami Yuma, and in August, Rukawa Rina. The only way a reunion would take place is if the fans demanded one; the reunion would have nothing to do with the AV companies. There is an Ebisu Muscats fan base, and it still remains strong, even to this day. An Entirely New Roster This is yet another prediction that seems all the more realistic. Basically, the roster would be revamped to suit a younger generation of Ebisu Muscats, all of whom would be in the AV industry or gravure industry. There are many AV/gravure idols in Japan, but the picks from management have to stand out compared to everyone else. Take into account the lovely lady in the video: Sakura Yura. If there is anybody who could continue the Ebisu Muscats “J-Pop AV Idol” trend, it’s her. First off, Sakura Yura actually looks like an idol. She has the same aura that Rukawa Rina had when she was around. Yes, she is in the AV industry as well, so she would be a near perfect addition to the new Ebisu Muscats. She could even be the captain of this new roster; who knows. There are plenty of AV idols that I could name off the top of my head who would make a fantastic addition to the Ebisu Muscats roster, such as Kana Yume, Tsuji Yuu, Ogawa Meruru, Hasegawa Shizuku, Tsuruta Kana, Yumeno Aika, and Usami Mai. Remember what I said about searching them up. Honestly, I have no idea what the Muscats have in store. The countdown on the Ebisu Muscats website is getting me all excited for something I have no idea about. These two hypotheses are all I could bring to the table, but what if it were to be something really random? Could it be a new single with AKB48’s Kojima Haruna? Or maybe an entirely new album filled with new songs the public has never heard before? Who knows? All I do know is this. Bring my kami oshi back please!
-L4verra (Nathan) Back in 2008, a group was formed that was meant to be a parody-style idol group of Akimoto Yasushi’s Onyanko Club back in the 80s. This group had a bit of a catch: they consisted of idols who worked heavily in the gravure and adult video industry. This was the Ebisu Muscats. And they were much more than just a group of gravure and AV idols. First off, some of their songs did have a bit of a sexual undertone. Their biggest hit, “Banana Mango High School” was released in 2010 and, if you were to understand Japanese or read the English translation, you can kind of see what they were talking about. I will not exactly explain the song lyrics right in front of you, but the song itself was just as sexual as a few of Onyanko Club’s hits. At least the video itself was not as perverted as the song: As for their other songs, some of their sugar coated hits involve spring holidays, chocolate, and a honey trap. Rather than just talk about songs, the lineup of the Ebisu Muscats was also a major strength. Yes, you have a lineup of adult video idols, some of which were the biggest in the business (Yoshizawa Akiho, Asami Yuma, Aoi Sora, etc.), but when you watched them perform through music videos, and even through their late-night variety show in "Onedari Muscats!!", you saw a different side of the girls rather than what you would see on a video found in the red light district. They had personality, they were funny, and they broke the stereotypes one may have when you talk about a group with adult video actresses. Like other idol groups, the Ebisu Muscats had a captain that was shuffled throughout the group’s lifetime. The first captain was Aoi Sora from 2008-2010, Asami Yuma from 2010-2012, and Kishi Aino from 2012-2013. As for the members, some members stayed for the entire duration of the Muscats’ tenure, such as Rio, Andou Aika and Hatsune Minori, while others stayed for a very brief period of time, such as Mizuki Uruha, Ohashi Sayoko and Ozawa Maria. Also like other groups, there were one or two sub units who performed their own songs. One of them was the Purukawa sub unit (based pretty heavily on the PreCure magical girl anime), featuring my Ebisu Muscats oshi, Rukawa Rina. The Muscats also had other appearances with other groups and artists. There was even a time where they starred in a special showcasing other idol groups, such as Berryz Koubou and SDN48. Here they are starring with DJ OZMA, with a few shots at AKB48 here and there: The Ebisu Muscats grew in popularity, especially in the early 2010s, with singles that sold fairly well and concert tours here and there (including one in Singapore). Unfortunately, in 2013, at the height of their popularity, the entire group announced graduation and was disbanded. Some of the other former Muscats can be found doing other lines of J-Pop based work, such as Kuriyama Mui of Through Skills and Sakuragi Rin of innuendo-named J-Pop duo, P * cherry. Will we ever see a mature J-Pop group like the Ebisu Muscats again, where their gravure and adult video careers were put on the side for the sake of J-Pop and variety shows? Only time will tell.
This group, however, holds something really dear to me, and that is because this was the gateway I had to J-Pop and the idol industry. I was curious to the idea of a bunch of adult video actresses in a J-Pop group, and then “Banana Mango High School” grew on me. I listened to this song so many times that I even learned the dance. Eventually Rukawa Rina caught my eye as being the kawaii anime otaku in the group (and the closest one to my age, given that most of the Muscats were 3-8 years older than I was). Eventually it was not just “Banana Mango High School”, but I listened to almost all of their songs wherever I went: at the gym, driving to college, etc. I would get excited to see new episodes of their variety show and new releases of songs. This group also introduced me to other J-Pop acts, such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Perfume, DJ OZMA, and even AKB48. They were the biggest reason why I love J-Pop so much. When they announced graduation and disbanded, the final episode of their variety show struck a chord, since I now had to find a new J-Pop group to follow. I still follow up on whatever non-AV based J-Pop things some of the former Muscats are doing today, but it is definitely not the same. I had to find another group that I could follow up with, who I could like as much as the Muscats. But then I ran into a gravure photo of an attractive girl on a Tumblr page. The girl on that photo was named Shiraishi Mai. And the rest is history... -L4verra (Nathan) |
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