Happy Super Generation Making Baby Steps In the Idol Boom

Pure Idol Heart special guest reporter Paul returns. This time Paul takes a look at a group we have briefly talked about Happy Super Generation and looks at what life is like in the Indies. This story, you could replace the name of the group ,a story or two and really it`s all the same. The Idol boom is in full swing and everyone wants a place in it.



Happy Super Generation Making Baby Steps In the Idol Boom
By Paul Purvis ,Special Guest Reporter

I was in Shibuya early one Sunday morning to catch a show. About a block away from the venue another idol group was getting out of a bus one by on and being greeted by some chanting fans. After the show when I went to PARCO right behind the venue to get some lunch, I ran into another idol group handing out fliers. That is when it hit me just how many groups there are when I am just randomly running into them! The group that I ran into handing out fliers turned out to be Happy Super Generation.

Happy Super Generation is a rather new group and they are trying to make waves in the crowded idol industry. As evidenced by the girls handing out fliers themselves, HSG is going for a more grass roots approach. As I wrote before all the members were on hand at AeLL`s live show to meet fans. They are trying to establish themselves in an established market and getting out there and meeting people is a good start.

While they are not trying to reinvent the idol wheel and hit you over the head with a plastic mallet like Alice 10 or leave you in shock like Steam Girls (OMG). They don’t come out in uniforms and try to win you over with super cuteness like the act before them and after them did.

They may not be the first group to rock the T shirts and jean shorts (cough cough Survive- Zero) they are one of the few that exclusively goes against the idol dress code. Even the most hard core fan must be getting sick of the groups in uniforms! HSG's on stage act also has little in common with the all smiles, cute choreography and pointing that we have seen a million times.

When HSG is on stage the dancing ranges from something you would find on an American Football game sideline to something you would see in a work out video. They kind of do an IDOL and HYDE thing where they are all hot and sexy on stage, but then are cute and friendly during the meet and greet.

They will do their first solo show in December; soon they will be doing some in store live shows for their first mini album. There is a unique promotion with the CD where fans can vote for their favorite member who will make their solo debut in January. Hopefully whoever wins the group will continue.

There may not be as many idol groups as grains of sand in the ocean or stars in the sky but there are probably as many idol groups in Tokyo as there are vending machines. Are there too many? I don't think so. Idols right now are what SUMO was in the 80s or the Yomiuri Giants in the 70s. Anytime the girls perform in public like in a mall or a festival everyone has to stop and watch. This is not the case with other types of music. Idols are as iconic as geisha, and attract an even bigger and more diverse crowd in public.

If just a hand full of those people watching from a far take an interest then it just makes the scene that much bigger. This market can always use fans and while their maybe more idol groups than you can shake one of those pink glow sticks at, as HSG shows there are always fresh faces and new styles coming out to give something for everyone.


Related
http://happy-super-generation.syncl.jp/