I saw Atarashii Gakko the other day, and now I understand with all my heart how those idol guys feel
I saw a major Japanese idol group a few years ago. I won’t say who because I don’t want their fans to read this and take it the wrong way. That’s how idol stuff is, I’ve learned. There’s a reason for that word, “idol”, and idol fans will remind you of the root of that word: “fanatic”.
But it was a really good show! It was a blast, even. And about halfway in when I’d fully settled in, my friend at that show– she’d been into idols, she's had an oshi, since we first met a million years ago– turned to me and said:
“So Dave, which one do you like? Which one do you wanna marry?”
And even though I know how this stuff goes, I was like “wh-wh-wh-whaa??” Certainly they were all cute: they were professional-grade cute. Flawlessly executing every choreographed performance, they dutifully made eye contact with each and every audience member, even an obvious tourist like me who wasn’t wearing the merch and didn’t know the calls or the moves or anything I was supposed to know to even be standing in that room.
But love them? Girls, I hardly know you!
A couple of weeks ago I saw Atarashii Gakko live in New York and they blew my mind. It was a transformative experience, one I recommend you have; preferably in person.
Towards the end of the show, the lead— Suzuka, the girl with the glasses— disappeared from the stage in the middle of a song. When the crowd had noticed and wondered about it just enough, she emerged from the back entrance of the venue and marched through the crowd. Right behind me.
For one lingering moment— before I was pushed out of the way— Suzuka was right in front of me, nearly facing me. I felt time slow down.
Only at that moment did I feel what my friend had wanted me to feel at that show.
(People tell me I shouldn’t call AG an idol group, but also before the show we were encouraged to play an app that plays videos where the girls say that they will always be with me all the time and that they love me, personally, so I think maybe there is a little bit of idol happening there.)
Speaking of LOVING STUFF, The Gamesoft Robo Fun Club is a solo labor of love that depends entirely on paid subscriptions from readers to exist. I have to do what the idols do and ask for YOUR SUPPORT! If you enjoyed this piece and you'd like to see more, I'd love to see you become a regular or paid subscriber. Paid subscribers get exclusive posts. Thanks for reading the pitch and hope to see you subscribe! I cannot love you personally; parasocial stuff is scary. I've had stalkers.
Anyway, it was a pretty good show
I really mean it when I said my mind was blown. A friend asked me if I wanted to catch the show and sent over the video for Tokyo Calling as a sample. About ten seconds later I said yes, because you’ve pretty much got me if you do an Ultraman bit.
But AG is a lot more than a single pop reference. They’re bold and aggressive; their Japanese name translates to “the leaders of the new school”. The music is eclectic; their producers run the musical gamut from hip-hop to pop rock to heavy metal, keeping the energy high at all times even as they cheerfully dunk on Japan’s modern dystopia.
The dance performance— the girls’ forte— is truly unique and proudly weird. It’s not that they don’t move the way you’d think idols would move: they don’t move the way anybody moves. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen lil’ Mizyu take the stage and whip her twintails around like helicopter blades.
The group members have such strong personalities, and their dance performances are so evocative, that they blast through the language barrier. Suzuka oozes star power with her intense gaze and husky, powerful voice. Rin’s dance moves are always a little bit cooler than the others. Kanon is a classical elegant beauty, and the aforementioned Mizyu is aggro-kawaii. With barely any previous experience with the group, it was extremely easy to understand the dynamic.
And we had a packed, ecstatic crowd. I guess because I’m out of touch and didn’t even know they’d been on Fallon– what the hell is television? the one with the commercials? why would I– my buddies and I decided to show up about 30 minutes before showtime, not counting on a line that wound around four long city blocks. As an elder otaku millennial, I’m just happy J-pop broke all the way through (okay, not as far as K-pop did) and foreign acts get this kind of attention from the modern youth. Last show I was at was Guitar Wolf; there were maybe 50 of us.
The only thing I could say about this show that could possibly be construed as a negative is that when I went home and listened to Atarashii Gakko on a long Youtube playlist of every video they’ve ever done, it could not be the same as it was that night. AG is a full-sensory experience; the visual is as important as the musical. And I can’t summon them by magic to do their thing in front of me as I watch on the couch, it turns out. They’re in demand. And I’ve been spoiled by my first encounter.
That, and Terminal 5 is the worst venue I’ve ever been to and the architects of the building should be tried for criminal negligence. Someone will die in that building, probably as a sold-out crowd stampedes to an exit via a tunnel built to fit exactly one and a half people. Not kidding. Anyway!
A lot of the reason I didn’t write this event up sooner— or that I don’t write up concerts in general— is that it defies verbal description: or rather, words feel inadequate. But that's exactly why I wanted to talk about it with you. See them next time they're in town! They're about to tour Japan, so it'll probably be a while... if you're not there.
