^^^ ha ha no, I'm sure FruitPunch will have it 1st (assuming he has it in hand already) - I will have my proxy send my copies as soon as some other items arrive in a week or so to them. if the video does not show watch the video here
I got my 5 copies in the mail from Lamtarra and visited Tower Records Akihabara to get my one copy. I didn't get a single picture of Shihori, but there were some other otaku hanging around so I traded a picture of Nanaka, Satsuki, and Narumi (?) together for a picture of Mayu and Shihori together. Out of the 120 photos, there are about 3 or 4 solo pictures, and various other pictures of multiple members together. I actually have not listened to the full album yet due to: needing to attach an external CD player, and because I have been working on this here below↓ if the video does not show watch the video here This is an episode of the Mori Kanon live stream show that was broadcast in Harajuku from 2016 to early 2017, and I went and subtitled it in English for you guys, and all Kamen Joshi fans across the world to enjoy. I think there are actually about 40-50 episodes in total, and it was originally a free to watch show, but the original site they were on made all the videos private about 2 years ago. I had a few of them saved on my computer before that, but only about 7 episodes at most. I think this means that what I have with me is the only way to watch this program now, and I think that it's a waste since these are so funny and entertaining. This episode is a kohousei special from November 8, 2016 so it doesn't actually have Mori Kanon appearing in it, and it has Shihori being very cute during her kouhosei days. Hino is also quite cute during it. As of this post the only active members that appear in this are Shihori, Tomoka, and Saki. There is another episode with both Shihori and Hino, and I did want to get that translated before Shihori graduates, but I don't think I have time. If I do have time, I will try to make translated clips of it, or if Shihori doesn't leave Alice Project on the same day as her graduation, then I will try and complete the whole episode before that happens. I have absolutely no qualms about putting the other episodes I have up, but I did all of this by myself and if it wasn't for the fact that I love this show, I might've quit much earlier since fansubbing is extremely tedious, so aside from the two episodes with Shihori, I have no plans to translate any other episodes. I think you should be fine to post about this on social media, or share it with others, and I don't think anything bad will happen, but don't mention me as the one who was translated as I don't want to get in trouble with the staff (if there is any trouble). Also, it shows members that are no longers there anymore, so I'm not sure how that would be dealt with. Either way, please enjoy. ps: I translated kouhosei as Candidates because that's what they used in Shihori's radio show. It seems that there's no official translation. The other episodes I have have Anna, Nodoka, Kanon, Misa, Nanaka, Risa, Mayu, but they have all graduated, with Moa being the outlier. I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to save the ones with Momomin, as she was quite funny on them.
You make some very solid points here, most of them I either knew and/or agree with but for the sake of keeping an interesting conversation going I will give my thoughts: First up, yes, The Kamen Joshi (and Cerisier) idols are different from other idols thanks to LiveOne. I would like to add to your point of getting to know them well is that this also works the other way around. The members also get to know their fans very well, offcourse this is depending on their interest and in this, without wanting to boast, I have the advantage of being a foreigner. About the interaction being depending on money, very true, however I am of the opinion that it is not because I pay them but because that is what they are paid for. The interraction on LiveOne is a means to increase their popularity and/or keep fans attached to them which ultimately is (in a world without covid) more valuable then what doing LiveOne brings them. All fans are equal, true, but I am pretty sure that there are fans that the girls like more then others. It is just difficult to see. Momomin was during LiveOne at some points pretty obvious (basicly semi-ignoring some people) About to having accept that idols will fall in love with someone else: I know this, that is why I try to keep the rule "don´t fall in love". Offcourse accepting this is easier for me due to me living in The Netherlands and not in Japan. Moving to Japan just to follow idols, falling in love with an idol, spending so much time on them, may have lots of people call me an idiot or even foolish. But I think that people that would call me that care a bit too much about something that doesn't concern them. I want to highlight this part: You are not a fool or an idiot. I have Crohn´s disease (but luckily super light, no meds needed). When the diagnosis was first made I got some medication that had to be administered via an IV. The section in the hospital where this was done also did IV´s for cancer patients chemo therapy. I saw all sorts of people there, young and old, that were having a dance with death. The things I saw there and the conversations I had (The IV took 3 hours, so plenty of time) turned over my life. It is that what makes me try to go to Japan so often and try to take out as much out of life as possible and do the things I like to do. It made me realize that everyday people die, or hear that they will die, without getting most out of life or without furfilling their dreams (even though they had the chance). So I think you did good in doing what you did. Don´t have any regrets or let those criticasters get to you. Ok back to the topic at hand. Ah, what did I want to say? Oh yeah, why does Moa-chan want a love letter? As you migh imagine I gave this question a lot of thought and I think the most likely conclusion is what I said earlier: I am a foreigner living in Europe. This doesn´t only make me interesting, it also makes me safe. Moa doesn´t have to fear me turning into a stalker or creep during cheki time (I am 100% sure there are fans like that). I also remembered a video I once saw on YouTube in which girls were asked if they would date a foreigner, it turned out many would like that and fantasized about it (marriage was whole different thing though). Maybe Moa is a bit like that to and I am a means for her to get to experience a part of that fantasy (because like you said, idols are humans to, so they also have their fantasies and desires). Or maybe she is just curious about the difference between a letter from a European compared to those of Japanese fans. (I am still contemplating between going for full honesty (which we Dutch are famour for)for the letter or to moderate it to a more indirect level to have it be more Japanese) On what I am: Personally I think I like Moa and Saria equally albeit in different ways. Saria I see as an idol I can support in her growth and I want to see her succeed in what she does and loves. Also for me she is safe as she is to young for me to love in a romantic way. With Moa it is different. She is a full fledged adult idol on the peak of her ability but she also has dreams about what she wants to do next to and after being an idol. She is also more serious. Personality wise she also closer to somone I would fancy. She is also older then my last girlfriend. To put it in an example, Saria would be the one I would take to an amusement park, but at night I would take Moa out for dinner. (although I would do both with Momomin) So I don´t see myself as a DD, I just have two oshis. I also don´t think Moa has any plans to make me fall in love with her to improve business, not just because it doesn´t fit her personality but also because she doesn´t need it. It does made me think of an interesting question though: How much does reeling in a foreign fan count for management? Not in a financial way but in a way more like in a "Oh, Moa and Saria can even make foreigners like them. How did they do that?" way. Ah I rambled way to much and probably again forgot things. Last I just wanted to share this video as I found it hilarious: if the video does not show watch the video here edit: I see that @blurryeyes also posted the video, oh well, it deserves being posted twice
WOW Thanks for subbing that show FruitPunch, I will definitely watch whatever you do! ... Watching now... "Ramen Sukeban" lol *Update: That was very funny, FruitPunch, thank you for your efforts, it was amazing to see all that joy translated! I love me some Hino. Nice to see your continuing thoughts as always Oddball! I think we all have to consider our thoughts & feelings for idols from time to time & evaluate our relationship as a fan & what that can really mean, to us, & to them... Lady to go! if the video does not show watch the video here
https://twitter.com/challengertowa/status/1399881167927607299/photo/1 Mask A Raid: EX MEMBERS WHO JOINED THE RECORDING (M1,M8): Sara Kurose Hitomi Momose Misa Kubota Hino Takafuji Sora Kurumi Ririka Nagisa Kotone Tsurugi ^^^ The fact that this is even credited is surprising!
So basicly this means that for these songs (Senjin cutter, lock up) there wasn't a re-recording for the album.
Ao Ueshita will be graduating in mid-July this year. https://ameblo.jp/ao-ueshita/entry-12674745215.html The timing of this announcement seems to be weird considering that the album just released, but I saw my notifications this morning and it said Ueshita Ao Last Photoshoot 6/27. Clicking on it said the article was deleted, but I checked Twitter and everyone was going crazy, and eventually I saw the official graduation announcement. I feel like the announcement was supposed to be pushed back a little more but the mistake made by posting the last photoshoot info was the tipping point. I thought staff had been doing a bit better lately, but seems I was mistaken.
^^^ I have to say I'm not surprised by this graduation announcement, despite her physical condition, Ao never really seemed all that thrilled to become an Armor Girl by my personnel observations anyway... & I figured this was on the horizon.
My beloved ex-member Sora Kurumi's 24th birthday today for those who would like to wish her a happy one! https://twitter.com/sorakurumi0605/status/1400843508630523907
Im getting convince my former partner in crime here Alixx is dead and buried. There's no way he dosen't come back here and brag for 10post at minimum over Moa new Proud Knight song! Like he's death, ban or in prison. I see no other alternative possible. Whatever left of your body im getting a cheer for you my man! This track is rocking real wow! Make up for a great ending with Story! Those people are great at giving me muscial lesson years after years lol this is nice. Getting hype for Story MV coming up! Where's the Japanese Kamenjoshi fan message board you guys speak of? What should i type on google to find it? Curious over getting the size and the vibe.
The graduation announcement of Ao-san saddens me She was one of the members who I looked forward to meet once a trip to Japan would be possible again. The timing might indeed be weird but considering she graduates for medical reasons I think that also explains the timing. It is a loss for Armorgirls (and the whole group offcourse) as this means that they probably won't be performing as a full 6 member unit for any time soon. EDIT: My 2 cents on what @blurryeyes said about Ao-san not being to enthousiastic on being an Armorgirl: I don't think she wasn't happy with it, I just think that, thanks to the pandemic bringing lots of limitations, the plans she had were, to put it mildly, pretty much thrown in the freezer. I can't blame her for then being less then happy. @SummitSlimegirls Yeah, I to have wondered what happend to Alixx, one day he was just gone. And yes Proud*Knight is a very good song, my album arrives next week, can't wait to blast it on full volume! Untill that time I just listen to it on Spotify. They were the last idol group I follow to make their Spotify debut. Also on the Oricon daily album charts June 2nd = 8th place June 3rd = 7th place June 4th = 23rd place First day sales are pretty good, drop on the 4th is pretty big but then again, there were lots of reports of shops being sold out so that might explain something.
I wanted to reply to this but I totally forgot. The message boards are completely anonymous so it could be due to suspicious fans, or perhaps just fans trolling one another. There's quite a lot of discussion going in all sorts of directions. A while back I would've agreed with you, but looking at her today and seeing just how much she enjoyed being with Armor Girls I think she truly wants to stay with them more. She makes MCs so much more fun, and she loves to tease Saria during the lives. You can try googling "アリスプロジェクト 5ch", and checking the thread number. I haven't been reading it lately but right now it's on #123. If you have an overseas IP address you're free to read the posts but you're not allowed to post and they block VPNs too (which is just the rules of 5ch), so back when I lived at home I would just read the posts.
Riru Kuwana graduation set for 6/19. Hina/Misaki Kouhosei graduation + Koharu/Harumi Steam Girls graduation on 6/20 part 1, and Armor Girls+Steam Girls+Alice Juban mask ceremony on 6/20 part 2. I hope they'll do a stream for both of them so you guys can get to watch it. With Tomoka herself graduating in the near future, this marks the end of the Steam Girls from when I became a fan (Sara, Tomoka, Shihori, Koharu, Mao, Seri, Yuuri). Alice 10 becomes Harumi+Topping Girls FTTB. I just noticed that Harumi has the most Twitter followers out of all members (even Moa and Satsuki), she's young, and has gotten way cuter as time has gone on. Since she's also an assistant leader, I have to wonder if they'll put more focus on her from now on. I really do hope Kamen Joshi gets their next big break with this album. If this album push doesn't last, I wonder what will happen. Also, I have noticed that Moa tends to say "There will be a time where I have to graduate too." This is nothing new and she's been saying it ever since I've been coming here, so it's likely something she says to keep fans awake, but once Tomoka leaves, she becomes the oldest member. I've overheard otaku discussing that if AP doesn't seriously recruit new AJs, there's gonna be a tough time ahead. Moa has the most outside work of any member and even though she has maybe like 2 years in her, she can't keep carrying KJ. As for opinions on Mask A Raid, I warmed up to Till We Meet Again; I like the tune despite the lyrics kinda being in broken English. I definitely like Proud Knight too, but I think Sakura is okay. After listening to it all, I still think Love Wave is the best track on the album. Shihori Graduation report sometime later.
thx for the update @FruitPunchSamurai I have watched the Shihori graduation live on YouTube but before I give my views I will give you the honour of giving your thoughts first, seeing as you are her biggest fan I think that would be fitting. On your concerns with the future of Kamen Joshi in realtion to the album (btw I can not wait to get back home tomorrow and finally hold it in my hands). From what I have seen in the charts the album sold pretty well so in terms of sales I don´t think there is much to complain. I think that the real test will be come when the situation in Tokyo (and Japan) turns back to normal and Kamen Joshi can perform via the normal schedule again. Will the fans return? Will the numbers increase or go down? That is the most important thing first, but I do agree that after that management should focus on getting more trainees/members in the group. Funny that you mentioned Moa and her (future) graduation. It is one of the things I want to ask/poke around a bit (if I get the chance) on LiveOne. (btw, I have that love letter in raw form and ideas, just need to work it out a bit, but it is damn hard). She will indeed be the oldest member soonish. But as Kashiwagi Yuki and Oya Shizuka in AKB48 show, she can easily stay untill she is 30 or older and as long as she has fun with it I don´t see anything wrong with that. One of the things I always fear once an idol graduates though is for her outside work. It is always a question if the people giving those jobs want (to give an example) Tsukino Moa the idol or Tsukino Moa the person? As for the album, yep Proud*Knight is defintely a great song, it may sound strange but I really like that part where Moa-chan is using English, escpecially the way she spoke the word "most" was very cute!
Ok, So I have a few thing to say: My opinion on the Story video, my opinion on the album and a LiveOne report of a chat with Moa-chan. First the Story video: Even though it is simple I really like it. The song doesn't need a complex video or choreography. Seeing the members in a video while wearing private clothes was also a nice plus. However, what I liked the most was that the newly promoted members Hina Oono and Misaki Kitagawa were already in the video and credited as full members even though they haven't had their graduation and joining ceremony yet. I like this sort of thing as it shows appreciation and will certainly give these two a sense of belonging. On to the album: I got it last thursday (offcourse I also listened to it on Spotify before that) and after picking it up I drove an extra lap in my car so I could listen to a few songs on loud volume Most of the songs I already knew but it is nice to have them in cd-format. One bad point though is the song "Till we meet again". Music wise I like it but, and don't get me wrong I applaud the effort, but if they are going to try to write a song in English and it turns out this bad lyric wise then I rather have that they stick to Japanese. The lyrics are a complete mess. I would almost use the word "worthless" to describe the writing. Good point: Proud*Knight, and no, even though thanks to Moa-chan writing this song I was looking forward to this the most, my opinion isn't based on her writing it. It genuinly is a great song. It has a true Armorgirls vibe and sound and I think it will be one the units staple songs in their performances. It might even topple their cover of "Les champs elysees" over to take the spot of favorite Armorgirls song. Overall a great album, a solid 85 out of a 100 from me. Sales were also pretty good so hopefully that will help them out to once the crisis is over. LiveOne report with Moa-chan: Seeing Saria-san announced on Twitter that she wouldn't do much on LiveOne this month I deicided to spend some more money on chatting with Moa-chan. She was online for little under 2 hours and I am happy to say that the good vibe from last time continued on during this session. Following is not in chronological order. - After greetings she started off with unpacking her presents she got from fans, I think she likes stuff from Dior as most presents were from that brand, some were even engraved with her name. Someone must have written something spectecular on one of the cards as she went "Kyaa" when she read it. Overall very cute. - I thought to stay a bit more quiet because there were lots of Japanese fans online, when she noticed this she encouraged me to comment more so I obliged. - I complimented her on her song, when she apologized (once again) for her English because it is "difficult" I told her, again, that she really should have more confidence in her English as it is actually pretty good. I also made a joke about it: "You say English is difficult but you wrote a song which is written around half in English". This made her laugh out loud and I also told her at that point that her English lyrics were better then the worthless ones of "Till we meet again". She looked surprised at this. I think that this might have to do with her maybe thinking that if someone wrote a complete song in English the writer is also good in English (which is evidently not true). But when I explained it she was happy with the compliment. - The choreography of Proud*Knight is done by the same teacher that did "Fanfare", "Genkidane" and a few others. - When I wanted to buy a ticket for tomorrows twitchcasting I only got payment errors (I think this has something to do with my banks first-time-at-a-shop-with-creditcard-verification-system). I tried this so I could see the choreography. When I told Moa-chan that I couldn't buy a ticket she hinted at that she wants the dance to be uploaded to YouTube but wasn't sure if it would happen, so who knows. I told her that instead of on a ticket I would spend the money on more LiveOne points. - I told her my favorite part of Proud*Knight (the way she says "most" in the sentence "I love you the most") which caused her, to my delight, to say it a few times. - However the best thing was that she proceeded to give a solo performance of the complete song Afterwards she also sang a few of the Japanese parts in English! - I also told her that I am still working on the letter. I have a new concept idea for which I asked her a few questions that she answered exactly as I hoped she would so I can continue with the concept (offcourse I didn't tell her what the concept actually is). - She looks forward to my letter but I told her to be patient as the first letter is (in my opinion) the most important one. - She is pretty nervous and excited for the live debut of Proud*Knight.
Shihori Yukino Graduation Report I'll start off with writing about an experience as part of being in an "inner fan circle" since it's something that very rarely western fans will be able to do, although I do want to point out that all fans are equal and no matter what we did as the fan circle, we never considered anyone below or above us. I have promised not to reveal the details of what's going on in them, so I'll just talk generally about obvious things that we do. Most members have LINE (the messaging app) groups related to their oshi (unofficial groups, coordinated by fans). The idea of it is mainly to share information like the various Twitter hashtags when member birthdays come or some requests on the day of birth fests, like "please set your penlight to [color]". They are headed by people called "TO" or Top Otaku (but like I said, they aren't supposed to be higher or lower than other fans), and Top Otaku are generally people who will spend money out of their own pocket to coordinate things related to their oshi, like getting the disposable glowsticks to distribute around the hall. If you've ever been to a birthfest and gotten a glowstick, likely someone from the fan group was helping out. It was my last job as part of the "Yukino Empire", Shihori's fan group (apparently it was previously called Shiho-nee Group, which I think sounds cuter, but someone had changed the name). I had to be at Akihabara by 9AM to help out with preparations (I won't go into detail here). I must say that it was quite the unique experience, especially because these kinds of things are generally permitted by Alice Project (of course I'm sure everyone had to get permission first), and it sort of makes you feel closer to your oshi and her fans, as well as sort of an "authentic" feel. I had been helping out hand out glowsticks (I had gloves on, and the glowsticks were wrapped into plastic). One thing that I am very thankful to them for is that there was a Twitter hashtag campaign which started about 3 days before her graduation ceremony, which was for people to use to share their memories and time they had spent with Shihori. With the hashtag, no matter how much time passes, Shihori (and fans too) can search it up anytime to see memories with her. I was the one who initially suggested we do such a campaign, and the TOs helped make it come to life. As an aside I wrote a very embarassing Tweet with that hashtag in English, haha. Onto the lives itself. The 2 live graduation system with lottery system means that some people will only get to see the first or second performance (I obviously wanted to see both). Let's just say I'm naturally lucky, and that I make my own luck, so I was able to see both of them in person. PARMS was packed I think, with very little or no no-shows. One of my favorite things about the venue was that staff and members had printed out pictures of her and they had all been put up and decorated everywhere. With my inelegant sobbing aside the entire time, members said that they didn't start feeling like she'd really be graduating during it. The set list which covered both performances consisted of all Steam Girls songs and a good chunk of Kamen Joshi songs. I got really sad when she said all the songs are going to be the last one's you'll ever see her do. I had come to the same realization on the previous day, where I saw my favorite Juban song "Fusion Girl" and Armor Girls "Kokoroid" in person for the last time. Shihori herself said that it didn't even feel like a graduation that time around. I was able to trade my ticket for a seat at the very front, right in front of Shihori (secret) The first performance is when she got the flowers and gifts, and the fans messages in the otaku archive, as well as a gift from Shihori oshi themselves, which was a photobook (the creator put some of my photos in them, which I am thankful for). The first performance flew by quite fast. The second one also blew by really fast too. I ended up in the third row on the left side, after a Mitsuki oshi kindly traded me his ticket for my original one on the far right (secret). I honestly don't really know what else to say, it was quite sad to see her do each and every song because it was her last. I did, however, catch myself smiling like an idiot many times simply because that's what it's like looking at your oshi. At some point she mentioned that she finally started feeling like it was a graduation, and even her expression (she had said that she wanted to end and say goodbye with a smile) was wavering a bit. I noticed Riru (who is a Shihori oshi herself) was on the verge of tears as well throughout the performance. The final song she graduated with, is Natsudane, and I personally am weak to that because: it's the same song that Hino decided to graduate to; and it's one of the first songs I did the Shihori cheer for, as a full-fledged Shihori oshi. Because Nanaka was able to graduate with a boat voyage, Shihori wanted to as well. Eventually she said her final speech to the fans and everyone at the venue. On the final bow, when Steam Girls were supposed to exit, they stayed and tearfully talked with her. I have seen the mask ceremony (putting it down) many, many times, and yet it still doesn't get easy to watch. However, during this 2nd performance, Shihori messed up the choreography 3 times, and at the very end her Steam Gun malfunctioned and the gas wasn't attached properly, which kind of made me laugh but I felt kind of weird since a graduation is supposed to be sad, and these comedic errors are happening. I wrote it off as just being very Shihori-like. I may have broken my personal cheki record, because I took 10 wide chekis in the 2nd performance alone (I had taken 1 Shihori wide for myself, and 2 Shihori wide and unit for a fan that couldn't make it, as well as 1 Ao normal for one of her oshi who couldn't make it in the 1st performance). I did 3 runs of Shihori, 3 wide, 2 normal sign+ 1 wide, 4 wide. So there's a hard rule that Alice Project must end business operations by 8PM sharp as according to Pasela rules, but there were 3 people (including me) still lined up for chekis, so they had Shihori say her final words to the people who were still in the venue, then they had the people still around leave aside from us cheki takers. I'm going to take pride in that the very last person to take chekis with Shihori was me. On the very final cheki run, I did a "wedding proposal" pose (lol), and (semi-jokingly) told her I love her and proposed to her. She joked around with me like we always did. I asked her something else (which I'm not going to say here), and then I tearfully asked her if this was truly the last time I'd be able to talk to her, and if she were to still do live one, which she responded with that she would. I'm glad that my last words to her in person were that I was thankful to have met her. As an aside, during my cheki shoot Yuuka and Tomoka came into the venue (likely for the interview shooting) and Nagata-san warned them that there were still customers in the venue, so they likely still had to watch their conduct. That also meant that they could've eavesdropped on my proposal, haha. I had to hurry out of the venue once it was all over. Nagata-san also told me, "Please come again anytime." Usually upon graduation, all the Shihori oshi are supposed to gather for a group photo, but it took so long that everyone went home. This was my third oshi graduation, but I felt quite different from the last times, and it was that I felt that I had supported Shihori to the very end without any regrets, so despite it being a sad ride home, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Putting aside how I may be biased because I'm her oshi, the gap that Shihori leaves is uniquely something that can't possibly be filled (perhaps that's the same with every member that graduates). Shihori has literally gone from 0-100 over the course of her idol career, and has a responsible and considerate character. I don't believe that there's any way such a gap could be filled, and so Kamen Joshi must grow yet again to accomodate it. Shihori leaves Alice Project on 6/30. She said she'll continue her twitter and Live one until then, I may or may not write a live one report, who knows haha. Ps. Bonus small Moa live one report+album thoughts A few days before the ceremony, I had joined Moa's live one. Mainly just because I wanted to chat since Shihori wasn't doing live one, and to say what I wanted to say before saying goodbye. Moa had previously been telling me that I should stick around, and that as a former Armor Girls supporter that she wants me to go see the PROUD☆KNIGHT first live showing, and jokingly that I should teach her English since I can use both languages proficiently, as well as saying kind things like that how is Kamen Joshi going to spread across to foreigners with someone like me to be there. I'm sure they're obliged to say things like that from a business perspective, but that doesn't mean that they can't not want me to be there as a fan to appreciate them. Waka said the same thing, and told me that she wanted me to come to her birth fest too. I'm glad you are spending time with Moa, @Oddball82 since Moa is genuinely a good girl (I would say most members are, really), and she is extremely kind to everyone even if they aren't fans of her. I took my last cheki with Moa the day before the graduation, and she was definitely sad, but I was able to say what I wanted to say. I saw her tweet out recently that she was doing live one, and I thought about going in, but I've said what I wanted to say to her. I really do like the tune of Till we meet again, and despite the English lyrics (which were written by the former guitarist of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a band that frequently uses English in their songs), I don't really mind because Japanese have been doing the whole "English lyrics" thing to look cool for decades. I'm ever so slightly curious as to what kind of choreography it will have. The English lyrics in PROUD☆KNIGHT are actually Moa's translation of the "true love cheer", which is something otaku used to do back when you could still cheer with your voice during lives. Apparently Moa wanted to add it since fans aren't able to do it during the lives.
^^^ Thank you for your thoughtful & insightful post Fruitpunch. Although never living in Japan, I have been known as an FTO (Foreign Top Otaku) for other smaller chika idol groups, through my various trips there and constant interaction on Twitter & take this long distance position seriously. I have been front rushed by fans of the group to make sure I get center stage at lives, have been given certain calls to do during lives, have been invited to & flown into birthday events... & graduation events. Have been mentioned in a closing graduation idol speech for my dedication by the member graduating (Malcolm Mask McLaren) & have had the opportunity to have a sit down (near solo) dinner with an idol after a show (Melon Batake a go go). I would not trade those experiences for anything, and will cherish them always. Although it is more challenging to be noticed as a fan with Kamen Joshi, every trip I have done, they are the only group I have seen every time I visit, & Moa-chan is the only idol I have had a cheki with every time I've been. Living there I could only imagine how this dynamic would change, as I would love these special live opportunities that I have to be an everyday thing, as I love idols & I love Japan. Fruitpunch's post is heartfelt & his story has made us a part of the action, not just this story, but all of them as our "friend on the floor." He made me a bigger fan of Shiori when the competition for members to be noticed is fierce for foreign fans (especially since the decline of Daily Alice videos). It's awesome that her final chekis were with him. I've learned a lot of fun things from him as the vocal/informative dedicated foreign fanbase to KJ is very small, so this was a valuable opportunity for all of us that he shared so much. Like all of you, I will miss story time here from him and loved seeing Moa/Waka's encouragement for him to stick around... but understand when things are not the same, missing your oshi, missing the comradery of the fellow fans, & how that experience would change. So my question is, what's next for you? As Fruitpunch has seen on my Twitter, I received my MASK A RAID x 2 from Village Vanguard, I will write up some thoughts after a few thorough listens at home & while driving lol. Enjoy! if the video does not show watch the video here
