By NucleARtyom May 7, 2023

codomomental bulletin #35

A week ago, there was a YouTube talk livestream with the head of codomomental, Nobuhide Imamura, where he answered some questions from fans and gave some other pretty important and interesting details¹. Here’s a small summary of the most important points:

Not Secured, Loose Ends is not “Tsurezure”, the group will have a different concept. Therefore, the music will probably be different as well.
The new akugi will also be different. Imamura-san emphasized that the group as it was before had come to its logical end. Therefore, the new look of akugi will be completely different – so much so that it will surely surprise fans. And most likely, the new akugi will not be performing material from the previous iteration of the group.
In the chat, it was asked if any of the three former KAQRIYOTERROR members remained in the codomomental. The director replied that this will be reported in the future. He reiterated that there are many different reasons for leaving, such as age or someone thinking about their future and choosing a different path, but one of the reasons why some codomomental members leave is because they want to stop being an idol. So Imamura-san indirectly confirmed that someone will stay with the company, but he also stressed that they should not be expected to do the same things as before.
There was also a question about what Megumi and the other Zenbu Kimi no Sei da members are doing now. To this, the director asked the fans to wait and just keep believing in their favorite artists. A short time later, Mei Yui Mei appeared at a codomomental talk event², and a livestream celebrating Motochika Kasane’s birthday is scheduled for today³, indicating that the others might also appear somewhere from time to time.
There are plans to release a Blu-ray of the Zenbu Kimi no Sei da’s Budokan show, but due to the fact that the cost of the concert was incredibly high, this release will not be possible without the help of the fans. Therefore, it has been decided to start a crowdfunding campaign, and the Blu-ray will only be released if the campaign is successful. The Blu-ray will also include a documentary.
Imamura-san once again touched on how he was going to change his approach to working for the company. Specifically, he had been personally involved in all the codomomental groups before, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was time to change that. He had three reasons for this: first, even though he was doing it by choice, because he always had a great desire to create, it was wearing him down – he didn’t even have time to take care of his health. Second, he thought that without his direct involvement, the new material could be even more original and distinctive – after all, new works have always been based on his personal vision, and he thought that involving other people in the creative process could bring even more variety to the new music. And third, the director’s work on his new label will also require a certain amount of effort. Actually, he was driven to create it by the fact that the perception of codomomental as a label and company has become very clear in everyone’s minds over the years: the large number of female groups, the emphasis on incredibly hot and powerful shows, creating music especially for current artists and focusing on their unity with fans, etc., which made it difficult to do anything that went beyond these limits. But the director likes a lot of other music and wants to try different approaches, which has become a significant limitation to his creativity. Imamura-san gives an example: “It would be strange if a label specializing in R’n’B music suddenly started promoting metal, wouldn’t it?” The director emphasizes that he’s not going anywhere, but is just limiting the number of groups he’ll work on directly. He didn’t say exactly which groups he would be responsible for, but he said it would be seen by whether he would be at their shows or not. The new label will be unrelated to codomomental and will specialize in a completely different kind of music, which codomomental fans might not like. But Imamura-san is burning with the desire to create something interesting and surprise listeners with something new, so he will be happy if codomomental fans will pay attention to his new label as well.
At the end of the interview the director let slip that there is one thing he hasn’t talked about yet. But after one day it was clear what this thing was, because the general auditions for codomomental, especially for Zenbu Kimi no Sei da (!), KAQRIYOTERROR, St.404, Not Secured, Loose Ends, akugi and louplull (and there was a note “and more”) were announced. The deadline for submissions is May 31st.
Does this mean that Zenbu Kimi no Sei da might return from hiatus soon? Actually, it’s too early to tell, but it’s obvious that some progress is being made.

In bulletin #18 I gave you a lot of details about Ama Mauru’s upcoming group that she intends to produce together with codomomental – St.404 (SAINT ERROR). And this week there was another talk livestream with Mauru, where she shared how the work on the group is progressing⁴. As always some interesting details:

The girl had already talked about wanting St.404 to have 5 or 7 members (so that the group would have a center), but after she started to meet applicants for the group, she doesn’t give it as much importance anymore because she realized that it’s not the group that shapes the members, but the members that shape the group. And depending on the people she meets, she is willing to reconsider such details.
Mauru is still not eager to write lyrics for St.404 songs, but as the creative director, she feels obliged to be able to express her ideas in words and not just with her performances on stage, because in the future she will have to work a lot with designers, directors, etc. to explain her ideas to them. Therefore, she does not want to avoid this duty and will probably try to write lyrics as well.
At the same time, the girl is actively absorbing various content in search of inspiration and writing down interesting ideas that come to her mind. She also encouraged people to share their favorite movies with her on Twitter.

The official TOKYO TEFUTEFU website has released more information about the group’s upcoming release “LYCORisALIVE”⁵. Specifically, it has been revealed that the second track on the disc will be the song “Houyou,” which was already available for listening as part of the two-hour preview.

I missed the right moment… I wrote the lyrics for ‘LYCORisALIVE’, the song from TOKYO TEFUTEFU’s fourth single. I’m always listening to dreams and asking them to tell their stories so that I can realize those visions. And I’m sure it’s the primary future that even they themselves have not been told about. I listened to it (saw it) and heartfeltly imagined what the words should be that I should put together. And as I thought about how the path of the butterflies born in the pandemic era would continue, I decided that I absolutely had to include a moment of the chrysalis turning into a butterfly in the lyrics. And I thought it was important to make the act of sublimating the will and labor of the predecessors even clearer. And above all, I intentionally included the epochal moment that seems to overturn the entire story that came before it. At the heart of this long, rambling text is the phrase “no one can replace us.” I believe that these five will not lie when they say that. I’ve said too much, so it’s time for me to leave. We (unlike the girls who live on the front lines) live on the other shore*.⁶

From GESSHIRUI’s Twitter.

* It should be noted that the word used in the source (彼岸, “higan”) has several meanings⁷:

It is literally translated as “the other shore.”
Its primary meaning is a Buddhist term meaning nirvana. According to Buddhist belief, the afterlife and the earthly world are separated by the Sanzu River. This river is made up of illusions, suffering, and sorrow, and only those who can overcome all the temptations of life will be able to reach the other shore and find enlightenment. It can also be used in a figurative sense to mean a certain ideal that can be reached as a result of a long and persistent journey.
It is also the name of a traditional Japanese Buddhist festival celebrated annually during the spring and fall equinoxes to honor the ancestors. In turn, the Japanese name for the lycoris (that blooms at the autumnal equinox), higanbana, is named after this festival and literally translates as “higan flower.”

This may shed light on additional meanings of the album concept, and it may explain why the word “lycoris” in the title is stylized in this way – that is, “LYCORis” is probably associated with “HIGANbana”. Thus, the name may symbolize the dream (in the image of nirvana) that the members intend to fulfill, and the honoring of the former members of the codomomental (in the image of the Higan Festival) – when GESSHIRUI talks about “sublimating the will and labor of the predecessors,” the word “predecessor” can also be translated as “ancestor.” Thus, the name may also express the will of the members to take their “will and labor” on their shoulders and carry it into the future. In turn, this is probably the “moment of transformation from chrysalis to butterfly”.
It is also interesting to note that in the Japanese flower language Hanakotoba, Lycoris means “sad memories”, “intention to surrender”, but at the same time “independence” and “passion”⁸. And its poisonous nature and grotesque appearance is obviously used as an element of strong contrast (which is the core of the group’s concept) with the other images of the song.

With various words I crush the parts of speech (mostly nouns and verbs), add chaos, knead poison, dissect with love and stack with dreams. And I suffer endlessly. Lately it’s been nothing but hit and run, so I’ve been especially stubborn.⁹

I rarely go back to my roots. Every time I try to do something new. I want to make things that make your heart quiver, that make your throat tighten, that make you subconsciously worry about not being overwhelmed by this flood of emotion. I keep looking back to see if I’m succeeding, but I still don’t get it.¹⁰

From GESSHIRUI’s Twitter.

A night I have spent many times. At times like this, I always felt like I was somewhere in my own world, but maybe at this time, somewhere I don’t know, both members and you are spending the similar night? “Bokura nara Omoidouri Ikanakutatte Waraeru ne” (“We can smile, even if everything goes wrong, can’t we?” – a line from her lyrics for “teardrop”). Of course it was like this before, but I want TOKYO TEFUTEFU and our “mirages” to be like this in the future. I want at least a little bit, it’s like a prayer, to move forward with the five of us together with you, who are you and not someone else, and whatever lies ahead, let’s grasp these big places together!¹¹

From Mary Lust’s Twitter.

Meanwhile, codomomental has launched a new YouTube channel called “codomomentary” where they will be posting various videos that will show members of the company’s groups from sides that are difficult to see as part of their normal activities. Apparently, these will be various behind-the-scenes videos, events, and blogs showing the girls in a casual, everyday environment. Several videos have already been uploaded to the channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfsFi_KaMhdFe_QihMt6U3A

Komari Yuu shared the track titles of her recent DJ set¹². If you want to check it out, I created a playlist on Spotify:

codomomental bulletin #35

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