Category Archives: Feature Article

Re:O Dominate The Fiddler’s Elbow Stage – Live Report

Written and edited by Kelly-Mae Matt
Live photos taken by Kelly-Mae Matt unless stated otherwise.

Back on 13th September, I was given the opportunity to watch Re:O live for the first time at the Fiddler’s Elbow in one of my favourite places; Camden, London. It’s an experience I have been anticipating since I first heard their song Violets back in April of this year, and with my birthday the following day, this was the perfect occasion for me to make my way to London to listen to the group live.

The journey there itself is nothing to write home about—there was a train, a short walk to where I was staying that night and then some time to relax before the show—but the anticipation at finally getting to see the band and speak to them filled me with excitement. I was also riling myself up with the knowledge that I would finally, finally get to hear the groups latest single, Crimson Desire, live; this is a song that was made to be sung in front of a crowd, and it was the very song I wanted to hear most from Re:O that night.

So with that excitement only growing the later the day became, I headed over to Camden to find the Fiddler’s Elbow, a pub that boasts itself as a legendary venue for live music in London. Regardless of the genre or how new or seasoned a group or performer is, the Fiddler’s Elbow aims to bring a plethora of music to its stage for fans of music to enjoy.

When I finally reached the venue, I was greeted by the sight of someone I had not expected to see just yet. There, standing just outside the doorway was Rio, dressed in a gorgeous purple and black outfit styled around the traditional kimono. With cute smile and an abundance of energy, Rio immediately beckoned me into the building to introduce me to her bandmates and Rogue Awakening, another group that would be playing alongside Re:O and the Italian rapper Red Sky, who the group has previously collaborated with for the song Kanashimu Toki Wa (Reloaded).

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A Day At London Anime & Gaming Con

All photos taken by Kelly-Mae Matt
Article written and edited by Kelly-Mae Matt

Recently, I was able to attend my first convention in over two years. Now, I am not an avid convention goer by any means, nor am I the sort of person prone to finding myself in overly busy places for the pure sake of it. With that said, I will go where the idols go, and if a convention is where they congregate, then by all means, take me there, too.

When I do attend a convention, however, you will typically find me around the stage area, watching a performance or two and waving a penlight. And despite what I say about rarely attending conventions these days, I do love the variety of performances that happen there. Whether it is a full-fledged group or a Kaigai idol just starting out, conventions have become a haven for those who love the art of the performer, and London Anime & Gaming Con is no stranger to hosting some of the best that the UK has to offer when it comes to performers, old and new alike.

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A Reason to Never Oshihen: An Interview with GARUDA, HALUKA and Satanic Punish at Ikigai Vol. 2

Kelly, Amanda
Translators: Justin, Baz

Hosted by The Chocolate Brothers and the Dutch Idol Community and held between September 20th in Arnhem, The Netherlands, and September 21st in Koln, Germany, Ikigai Vol. 2 saw the return of GARUDA and Satanic Punish on European soil, as well as marking the debut of DIABLEVOIX’s Haluka in her first overseas tour.

For these two evenings, fans of these three acts had the chance to experience a show filled with incredible vocals, relentless energy, and the possibility of a strained neck the following morning, thanks to all the headbanging that went on.

For some fans, however, the weekend did not end at the Blue Shell with a final song, as those who had purchased off-kai tickets had the absolute pleasure of joining GARUDA, Satanic Punish and DIABLEVOIX’s HALUKA for an off-kai event the following Sunday.

It is also that, on this day, Beyond Senpai’s Kelly and Amanda were fortunate enough to attend as well and, for the first time since this site’s inception, both Amanda and Kelly were given the opportunity to deliver their first in-person interview to these three legendary performers.

So, it was with a great amount of nerves and some shoddy Japanese pronunciation that our interview began. With the help of Justin and Baz, who aided in translating the performers answers for us, Beyond Senpai joined Yuffie, Haluka, Manamu and LinLin at the front of the event hall to deliver the Ikigai Vol. 2 Interview, right in front of the fans…

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A Reason To Live: Why I Love Satanic Punish

When I first met Satanic Punishes Manomu in Germany at IKIGAI Vol. 1 in 2023, she asked me what kind of idol groups I liked during one of our first cheki sessions. I answered honestly, expressing my love of cute and orthodox idol groups such as Houkago Princess, LONDON BLUE and others. Then Manomu asked:

“If you’re a fan of cute idols, why do you like Satanic Punish?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. I just do. Honestly, I forgot I was even asked this until the same question was posed to me this year during IKIGAI Vol. 2, this time from the groups newest member, LinLin. “You like cute groups? So why Satanic Punish?”

It was almost like Déjà vu and, once again, I couldn’t give a decent answer. All I could say was “I really like the lyrics,” and the group itself. This time though, the question stuck with me and has since made me really think about why I like Satanic Punish.

I don’t think there’s ever an easy answer as to why you like something as much as you do. There are multiple factors that come into play, from how something looks to how it makes you feel deep down; those sorts of feelings and reasons can be hard to articulate in any form I think, but as always, I will try my best.

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Idols You Should Know (From The Depths of the Underground)

Article By: Benny / @Codomomentality
Edited by: Kelly-Mae Matt

Hello there! This is Benny / Codomomentality!

Over on twitter, I recently made a post expressing my desire to see the Western fans of Japanese music get into more idol groups. Right now, it seems like a lot of people stick to the same stuff but, once you really dig into the depths of Idol, you will see that there’s so many diverse and amazing groups hidden within it, and that’s what I would like to show the Japanese music fans today.

With that being said, here are 5 groups that I think we should all be talking about more and showing our support for!

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‘Even if it’s different, I won’t let Satanic Punish deteriorate’ – An Interview with Bokuga Sakura

Come April 29th, the stages of Japan will darken with the promise of a new era for Satanic Punish, who will go through a major lineup change with the graduation of Legendary Members, Webshiki and Himeno Usagi. After making their debut in March of 2020, both Webshiki and Usagi created an image and sound for Satanic Punish that is undeniably theirs, but after three years with the group, both are ready to pass the baton and allow Satanic Punish to flourish under a new system.

Now, new member and soloist Bokuga Sakura will be joining the front lines of Satanic Punish alongside fellow member Mana Manomu – who joined the group at the tail-end of October 2022 – and crafting her own image within and for the group upon her official join date, which begins on April 29th, 2023.

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From Behind the Curtain: A Veiled Introduction to the ‘True’ Member of Satanic Punish

All images included in this post are owned by Devil Margin Inc.

It was October 30th, 2022, and some new information had come to light: A new member had joined Satanic Punish, and one of Beyond Senpai’s contributor’s needed answers. What are their thoughts on joining this musically driven group, what music do they enjoy outside of what they are set to perform, and finally, just Who are they?

With their anonymity however, there is a strange kind of beauty. It adds to the anticipation of their unveiling – whenever that may be – and allows for speculation, because while we want to know more, we also crave to figure things out for ourselves, like a puzzle. So with this in mind, one of Beyond Senpai’s writer’s challenged themselves to something a little different.

An Interview with the ‘TRUE’ member of Satanic Punish, one that would not compromise their identity whatsoever.

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MION: A Little Gem Amongst The Chaos

As the weekends since July 22nd pass us by, Hyper Japan continues to stand as more than just a memory to us all. The experience allowed us to reunite with friends old and new, and despite the stress that may have come with the bustling venue and the heatwave that pursued us all like the evil sun from Super Mario Bro’s, there has also been some undeniably incredible moments that we shall never forget.

One such memory comes in the form of MION, a singer-songwriter who hails all the way from Aichi, Japan, who currently resides in the UK in order to improver herself as a performer. With a sweet voice and powerful music that transcends the language barrier between us all, MION has been working hard since the beginning of 2022 to make a name for herself in the UK convention scene, and is only growing stronger the more she performs here.

With the memories of her music and personal interactions still fresh in our mind, Beyond Senpai’s Tom and Kelly are ready to reminisce about the heat of the Festival Stage at Hyper Japan Festival 2022, and talk about the impact that MION has had on them both.

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Bridging The Gap Between Japan and The UK’s Music Scene: An Interview with MION

Born into a music background in Mie prefecture, Japan, and raised in Aichi, the award winning singer-songwriter, MION, has over 10 years of experience behind her, and a catalogue of songs to entertain fans both old and new. Now based in the UK in order to deepen her knowledge of music, MION is growing even more as a performer as she sets her sights on becoming the bridge between Japan and the UK, with a hope to see artists from both countries to collaborate and perform music together.

With her guitar in hand and a passion for music that could rival the British heatwave of ’22, MION has been taking the UK convention scene by storm since the beginning of the year, and shows no sign of stopping any time soon.

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Welcome To Kaepyon’s World: An Interview with Tsukimori Kaede

A financial office worker during the week, and an Idol at the weekend, Tsukimori Kaede – also known by her nickname, Kaepyon – is a self-produced idol that has been making waves within the overseas idol fandom since her solo debut back in 2020.

From desk work to live streams, Kaepyon works hard to make her dreams come true, and encourages her fans – whom she affectionately calls ‘Kaepyonists’ – to also pursue their own dreams, no matter how old they might be! With a cute voice at her disposal and an ever-growing, loyal fanbase, Kaepyon is ready to welcome you into her sparkling world of colour and happiness.

Image from Tsukimori Kaede’s official Twitter
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