Too Many Cool New Groups!!

 I’ve noticed that spring tends to be the seasons with the most new groups being formed, I call it the Idol Debut Season. It’s a strange pattern that happens every year. I really started noticing this last year, when iON!, MEGAFON, and Tenshinranman were all announced in the same couple months. I thought it was just a HEROINES thing at first, but this pattern seems to have spread to other companies. Which leads me into the topic of this article; recent debuts that have caught my eye.

The first group I want to talk about is DaTuRa. I’ve already wrote a dedicated article to them, but member and producer Shinozomo Reika has given some more insight on the group I’d like to share. She recently wrote a NOTE about the group, talking about their debut MV and the concept behind the group. She said that their concept is a mix between Grimm’s Fairytales and poison, which looking back, I can’t believe I missed those themes while writing my original article. The member showcase videos they posted to promote the group had German text in them, the MV was very Hansel and Gretel coded, and Datura is literally the name of a highly poisonous flower. Can’t believe I missed all that. Anyways, that article she wrote was super interesting, I highly recommend you go read it for yourself! There’s a lot of really cool and unique lore behind the MV that she discusses. 

Shinozomo Reika on the set of DaTuRa’s debut MV

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The next group I’m here to talk about is HEROINES’s most recent group, HARUKA ECHO. Don’t be fooled though, this group sounds nothing like the stuff you’re used to hearing from HEROINES groups. HARUKA ECHO, or HARUE for short, is a group produced by the composer duo BUGBEAR, who’s made songs for artists like Sakurazaka46/Keyakizaka46, ≠ME, Asls, and so many more. I’ll be honest, I when I first saw the video promoting the auditions for this group, I was kind of hoping that this group was gonna be a rock type group. But alas, I was wrong. Luckily, the sound this group does have is pretty stellar. So stellar that people online have been accusing them of being a Keyakizaka knock off. I get where they’re coming from, but more than one group can have the “dark parts of youth” concept. If this group is a “knock-off Keyakizaka”, then so is like, TripleS during their Are You Alive era. Plus, this group has way better production quality than most Sakamichi stuff anyways. 

HARUE is comprised of 6 members; Amamiya Ruri (blue), Hirasawa Kae (yellow), Kannagi Mifuyu (purple), Tokiwa Uta (pink), Ashina Yui (green), and Kousaka Rin (red). Three of the members were already affiliated with HEROINES. Kae is a former member of Akishibu Project, Rin is a concurrent soon-to-graduate member of ZUTTOMOTTO, and Mifuyu was a finalist of iLiFE’s 2025 audition. Pretty cool! I really hope nothing happens to this lineup because it’s seriously elite.

Furthermore, they just released their debut album Anohi no Zankyo, which translates to The Echo of That Day. I haven’t listened to the full thing yet, but out of the songs I have listened to Tokumei Kibou is my favorite. It’s super fast paced and has a lot of interesting instrumental moments. And honestly, a song with an interesting instrumental always wins my heart over. It’s fast tempo and emotional vocals work together so well in my opinion. I’d love to see this song get a MV or something. 

Speaking of MV’s, here’s HARUE’s debut MV Zankyo. It’s super good as well! The choreography and visuals of this video demonstrates this groups concept so so so well. If this doesn’t make you fall in love with them, I don’t know what will. And be sure to tune into their debut live stream if you can. They debut tomorrow ;)

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The next group I’m here to talk about is MAD INK’s newest group, MADOROMI. This group has a super interesting lineup. This group features two former MADMED members, Enma Tora (yellow) and Fukai Numa (pink), two former HEROINES girls, Serene Kira (blue) and Yamiga Aru (purple), and another member, Ojo (red), from a group I hadn’t heard of before researching her past. Apparently she used to be a part of the group Tokumei Mirage under the name Ojou. Her actual name is also apparently Murakami Yuria. Interesting!

Kira being in this lineup what really got interesting in MADOROMI. I honestly did not expect her to redebut! She was one of my favs in TENRIN, super happy to see her continuing her idol career. She looks so cute with blue hair hehe I hope she keeps it. I’m also pretty interested in the concept of the group, which they describe as Suicidal Ideation. Their debut artist photo and ishou is super cool, it reminds me a bit of MAD MEDICINE. Unfortunately they haven’t put out any music yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to listening to their music once it comes out!

(L -> R) Fukai Numa, Yamiga Aru, Ojo, Serene Kira, Enma Tora

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Overall, I’m very excited to see what all of these groups put out. I can see these groups having very bright futures! I don’t really have much else to say, these groups are all pretty cool. I’ll be sure to support them for as long as they’re active, and I recommend you do as well.

Sick New Group Produced By None Other Than Shimozono Reika!

Misola de Edison was one of the very first alternative groups to catch my eye back in 2022-ish. Reika had me absolutely enamored back then. Shes just so pretty, and good at singing and dancing, and everything about her is so freaking cool. Unfortunately, Misola is long gone and I miss them dearly. A little while after their disbandment, Seren and Daria formed Susie’s Ephemeral, which later became DIAVEL. And while I do like them, their stuff just doesn’t hit how Misola hits.

A year ago now, Reika and Pet formed Re;Viral. Unfortunately, there is basically zero content on them. No new music, no live videos, I don’t even think they have a YouTube. Basically nothing other than a Twitter account they update every few months. Because of this, I drifted away from the Misola girls and gave my attention to other groups.

That is until DaTuRa was formed. Not only do they feature Pet and Reika, but Reika is their freaking producer!! How cool is that? I just know this group is gonna be good. Just look at this lineupp!! THEY’RE SO COOL!!

(left -> right) Koigasaki Kanon, Yagami Pet, Shinozomo Reika, Shiraki Ema, Garan Ao 

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Shinozomo Reika (rose red)

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Koigasaki Kanon (melty pink)

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Garan Ao (crystal blue)

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Shiraki Ema (pure white)

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Yagami Pet (nightmare yellow)

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These girls are all so sick, 4/5 of them have experience in other groups! Obviously there’s Pet & Reika who were in Misola, but then there’s Ao who was in Akatsuki/Antithese, and Ema who was in Priciere. Kanon is the only one to not have any prior idol experience.

A TikTok video showcasing the members went a sorta viral, so now their fanbase is like gaijin-dominated (sorry Japanese fans). Ao seems to be the fan favorite, which makes sense as she’s objectively stands out the most. Many people have said she looks like Kaiser from Bluelock, an anime I haven’t watched but I know many have. And not only does Ao remind the TikTok user base of fictional characters, but the other members ring some bells as well. Kanon apparently looks like Honami and Mizuki, both from Project Sekai. Many people have said Pet looks like Misa from Deathnote and Mami from Madoka Magica. Actually, a surprisingly amount of people have said that the group looks like the Madoka Magica girls. I didn’t really make that connection when I first saw them, but I do kind of see it. Kind of. 

Anyways, they released their debut MV today and it’s so so good! It’s a super catchy self titled song with lots of interesting visuals. Reminds me a lot of prime Misola.

One thing I really like about this MV is how diverse the shots are while still maintaining a coherent theme. I’ve noticed that a lot of idol MV’s these days tend to feel like the same few shots being repeated over and over with very little changing. But this video shows that it is possible to have a diverse range of shots and a storyline while still keeping a general theme. Makes it more interesting to watch. 

I haven’t looked a ton into the lyrics yet, but just watching the MV I can already understand the general storyline. Two kids enter this strange house and meet the DaTuRa girls. The girls proceed to play with these kids, guiding them throughout the house, giving them treats, etc. But it’s clear the girls aren’t just doing this out of the goodness of their heart, they’re manipulating the kids. As the song goes on, their methods get harsher and harsher. And by the end of it, the kids become their servants and are conditioned to treat the girls as royalty. 

This group has a lot going for them, I’m really excited to see what they make going forward. Seeing Reika not just join but PRODUCE an idol group is such a dream come true. Hearing her and pet sing together again is so wonderful. And the other members too?! They’re all so cool. This group seriously has the potential to become the next MAD MEDICINE, and I don’t say that lightly. I will definitely stick around to see how this group develops!