Hirate Yurina (Techi) / Keyakizaka46 1st Generation

I agree that it's a good number. A lot, in fact, for a new artist who does not have any discography attached to her name alone. Without promotion thus far, it's mostly attributed to the power of her fans which she gained as an idol-center, a chapter which she has already closed. What she has to do is be consistent in terms of quality and promotion as up-and-coming artists tend to do so that she can gain recognition from the general public.

She also needs to work on her live singing. I wouldn't mind if she does dance performance one day and then live song with a band (no dancing) the next. At 19, her focus should be the longevity of her career as a performer. There's no worry of graduation or age limit so her discography is all to herself.

It's also really good that her YouTube channel is gaining subscribers. That's another set of investment she has to work on. How many people she can directly target is always important when you're a creator so I hope she puts up good content that people will be willing to sign up for.

So far, I'm very happy with the song, but it's only one single. I'm excited to see what other things she has in store.

 

Techi doesn’t even know what she’s going to do the next day, surely she’s not thinking about career longevity lol unpredictable as she is, techi might pull a yamaguchi momoe and retire from the industry at her peak. There’s no way of telling how long her desire to express herself is going to last, hopefully for a long time. I don’t want her to suffer from pressure again, so if she prefers to focus on acting and release music only once in a while, that’s fine for me.

I agree that streaming numbers could be a better indicator of the success of a digital single. Though if you truly want to support an artist, then buying the music is a better option as streaming services pay artists very little.

 

You have a very good point there. Something I forgot to consider.

 

oh my god i had no idea tecchi had a solo debut until I checked this thread. All i can say is wow, she really hasnt lost any of her charm as a performer I'm so happy i can still support her as an artist now

 

She should have retired in 2017 for that.

 

Based on nikkei entertainment talent power ranking, techi’s popularity has been growing considerably over the years, so I wouldn’t say 2017 was her peak. Her peak as a soloist is yet to come.

 

I think 2017 was her peak in terms of being a Keyaki member, we have no way of knowing how her solo career will go yet.

 

A YouTube channel called ARATA DANCE SCHOOL featured Techi's MV in terms of dancing.
Vid:

if the video does not show watch the video here

I'm quite not sure if he gave a dance analysis or solely reacted about the music video for I don't understand the language much. But basing from his channel, he seems to be an expert of his field, and it's a nice info to hear a real dancer's insights considering this is Techi's very own first single.

 

Why so? I wasn’t a fan at the time and I don’t get it. According official surveys, she was way more publicly recognized in 2019, also for being an award-winning actress. Moreover, she ended the year on a high note, unlike 2017. It would make much sense to consider 2019 as being the peak of her idol career.

 

I guess by those metrics you're right, I guess my perception was more personal. In 2017 she was more included with the group, participated more in group activities and performed better and more consistently (imo performance wise her peak was Keyaki Republic 2017). So I guess it depends if you think of it as a "Keyaki member" or just as "idol".

 

Some of us are taking Techi's popularity too high. I know i might be hated for this but whenit comes to Techi, i always wanna talk abt her as an outsider who observes.
Techi is popular, yes, but how much? Is her popularity formed from good rep, or from bad rep. This is the question that shld be thrown arnd. I remember i said smth when the documentary came out that as much as Techi loved the grp, the passion she had brought pain more than joy to the other members as well as fans. Till now fans are still wary what is with her. She was so gloomy in the grp, then she is all smiling and happy here. What does it mean? I believe what @miwa said. Her peak as a member was in 2017. From then we saw fans weren't all eager for her, like before. Her popularity outside idol world is yet to be determined & we can't tell how well she is received in the gp. She normally trends during her idol days when she is mentioned but now she doesn't trend much.
Yes, fans are still around to support her but her new career now is yet to be determined. Her idol days are over & its time to face the world without hiding behind the idol face. Personally i want her to become an idol turned actress more than a soloist cos i see her growing in that field more.

 

Hm? I don't think so, actually. Do you remember the Stargazer collab when the PV achieve million views just in 24 hours, even though the song itself has been released way before (the Eng version) and there's no teaser, hype, etc? And then that collab with Mrs. Green Apple which again, makes even more rock band fans know about her? It's 2020, her movies haven't been released yet, she doesn't even have her own solo yet (before Dance no Riyuu) but she's featured twice on FNS and both of her performances are highly praised by both pros + common people. Dance no Riyuu has very little promo, yet the view for unofficial video of her first performance far surpass every others, even legendary group like Arashi (without disrespecting them, I just tried to illustrate the situation). There's literally no notification about her official YouTube channel and PV, nevertheless it's still got a million view, again, in a short span of time. Without much promotion, no teaser, no hype besides the FNS performance. Not to mention several surveys by different media which capture how recognizable she is in the eye of pros and public.

I'd say actually it's the reverse. She is popular, or at least well known, amongst pros and public. However, amongst Keyaki/Sakura and idol fans in general, she's not that popular, even has a "bad reputation". We need to remember again that even when she's an idol, half or even more of her fans are not wota. She was also the most recognized members in public by quite far margin, the queue for just her placard takes hours.

Of course, statistics are not everything. But both quantitative (stats, views—which I think notable to mention considering Japan doesn't have streaming culture like Korea—, surveys) and qualitative (the impression from pros and public interviewed by several surveys) indicates that, at the very least, she's quite well known. I think it could give a bigger picture than trending on Twitter/SNS/net.

Discussing about the peak of a performer or pro is a hard thing. First of all what is the peak? How do we define this term? How do we investigate which point of their career is their peak? It's even impossible to me when the person is still active and hasn't retiring yet. People can seem to be sunk in term of popularity only to rise brilliantly, suddenly, because of several reasons. The reverse could also happen. With due respect, I think this discussion is a little pointless.

I love it when others appreciate her, but personally I don't really care about how famous she is in Japan (or even worldwide). I don't love her because of her fame and from my observations, I think fame is never her goal anyway. Still, right now, she's quite popular. I just hope all the best for her career and she can do what she wants, what she thinks ideal

 

As far as I could tell he wasn't very big on details and gave more of a general impression, noting interesting parts along the way.
First of all, according to the dude himself he was impressed and deeply moved by this work. He really liked the music and said there are currently no artists with this type of sound. Speaking of 'singing and dancing' type of female artists like Amuro Namie, he believes there is no one who can perform this type of dance like Hirate does. He also praises the backdancers saying that the level is too high. They really help to bring out the quality of this work.
Analyzing Hirate's part more closely, he highlights Techi's expressions and passion. He used to think that she was great in Sakamichi, but going solo and making a rather long (4:19) track work is something else. Next important part he addresses is physical intensity of the dance. KPOP idols don't do it to this extend, he says. It feels like in physical terms she's doing a Bangtan (BTS?) type of dance all by herself. The dance break sequence is yabai, both musically and dance wise. Throughout the MV Hirate's intense gaze (me no chikara) is something we don't ordinary see. He points out that there is a going concept concept in the dance itself. Hirate starts in the back and gradually comes forward, eventually dancing at the very front. Hirate is an outstanding person and Dance no riyu is an amazing work, he concludes.

 

Comment video with the cast members of 'The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window', Techi's part starts at 0:43:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

I'm so excited for CDTV tonight. It's going to be Reason for Dancing's 2nd stage.

Happy new year, everyone! I hope that we can stan Techi in 2021 with as little drama as possible. That's a tough wish considering how polarizing Techi is but one can dream. Stay safe and stay warm.

 

And this year too ends with Techi performance, against every single expectation... and WHAT A PERFORMANCE!!!

Not a single one of us knows what wait us in 2021, but with Techi as Oshi, it will be nothing but outstanding.
To all of you who loved the highs and endured the lows of being a Techi fan, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Ok, so I loved the CDTV stage but that's a given since I'm wearing rose tinted glasses when it comes to Techi. What I'm most happy about are the behind the scene pictures of Techi smiling so brightly. The first few hours of the new year have brought good things.

Next thing to look forward to... Itte Q on January 3rd. I'm ready.

#GoodVibes2021

 

if the video does not show watch the video here
Techiko seemed to be having troubles with her mic, gradually got more frustrated and lost her focus a bit in the second half. That last moment where she almost lost her balance got me scared all right. As much as I love Techi, she still can be unreliable at times and the FNS performance clearly was the better one.

 

I had gotten sad reminiscing about last year’s kuroi hitsuji and red fukyouwaon performances, but techi wiped the melancholy away. Sorry for being melodramatic, but she’s really my biggest joy on this unfortunate New Year’s Eve.

FNS’ stage and camera work were better, but techi’s performance was more polished tonight. I think we were collectively surprised by her live singing which, while imperfect, was better than we could have anticipated. I’m glad she keeps working on improving herself.
She looked so worn out in last year’s photos, but now she’s clearly in a better place mentally.

Happy New Year everyone and let’s support techi in 2021 as well!

Edit: @turbogig at a certain point, she loses her balance a bit in the MV as well; I think she just needs more practice. I feel like the last part was messier in FNS, whereas she looked more in control tonight.