Dream5 and Kid Power!

Technically, this adorable 5-member group isn't labeled in the idol genre, but, like I said before, they're adorable; who doesn't associate adorable with the word idol? :P

In 2009, a popular NHK program, "Tensai Terebi-kun MAX", held nation-wide auditions, looking for kids in the fourth grade to 1st year in middle school who specialized in dancing and singing. Out of 1,500 applications, 5 people were chosen. The name that appealed to the public was "Dream5 (Or Dori5), and so Dream5 they were named.
Due to overwhelming public reaction, they debuted with their CD titled, "I don't obey ~Bokura no Pride~", in the same year as their formation. Along with their activities as artists, they've branched out to participating in things such as drama and variety. Their fanbase consists mostly of children and parents, but this dance and vocal unit is popular among elementary and middle school students, too!

The members are, in order of the picture from left to right:
Takano Akira (高野洸) - Dancer
Nickname: Akira, Takanocchi
Birthday: July 22, 1997
Blood Type: B

Oohara Yuuno (大原優乃) - Dancer
Nickname: Yuuno
Birthday: October 8, 1999
Blood Type: A

Shigemoto Kotori (重本ことり) - Leader, Vocalist
Nickname: Kotori, COTORI
Birthday: October 5, 1996
Blood Type: O

Tamakawa Momona (玉川桃奈) - Dancer
Nickname: Momo, Momonga
Birthday: March 24, 1997
Blood Type: O

Hibi Mikoto (日比美思) - Vocalist
Nickname: Mikoto, Mikochi, Mikocchan, Mikochin, Mikochan
Birthday: September 20, 1998
Blood Type: B

Honestly speaking as a fan of this unit, I wouldn't say that they're successful in sales. (I've never seen any of their single or album releases go past 10k) But that's definitely not why or how I got into them in the first place. I remember looking up new groups to listen to and came across them, but never really got motivated to look into them more. Then after seeing them in a picture with TOKYO GIRLS' STYLE, I decided to give them another chance. MAN, I'm so glad I did!

If you knew me, you'd know that dancing for me is one of my top factors when looking for new musical acts to listen to, and this group was no exception! I was so surprised with how precise, energetic and fast-paced their dancing was. Not even some people older than them could handle the choreography that they'd been given! Of course, that means they weren't trained in the skill or dancing's simply not their strength, but even so!

The 3 members officially labeled as dancers, Momona; Akira; and Yuuno, definitely know what they're doing, as to be expected! And, in my eyes, each one stands out in one way or another; Momona's the best at hitting the choreography with each move; Akira's like a little B-Boy when performing his tricks; and with Yuuno's facial expressions, she adds a lot of personality into her dance.

As for the two members officially labeled as vocalists, Kotori and Mikoto, they both have their own flavour then they sing. Kotori's the deeper, funky and adult-like voice, while Mikoto is like the opposite; higher, girly, and child-like. Their voices don't exclusively sound like that at all the time, but they do for the majority of the time. It's quite easy to distinguish the two when sing alternately, but it's weird how well they blend whenever they sing duet lines.

Usually, I wouldn't be into a group that's made up of "kids" and is targetted at "kids" and has an image that's "kiddish". But with talent from each and every one of the members, it's easy to just focus on their performance and personality that they give with each single, album, PV, live and event that they do.



EZ DO DANCE


Dandan GROW UP!

Bokura no Natsu!! Furitsuke Video (The video that led me to them~!)