By NucleARtyom November 24, 2024

codomomental bulletin #74

On October 26, USHIMITSU made their debut. According to eyewitness accounts, the group performs in a very unusual configuration: while Enma, Aira, and Nan sing and dance, 404ERROR performs something akin to contemporary dance behind them. Not only does she not sing, but she also doesn’t speak—not even during cheki sessions. It’s said that for her to gain the ability to talk, she needs a firmware update.

The group also made several announcements: first, in January and February 2025, USHIMITSU will release one digital single each month, and in the spring, they will release a mini-album. Secondly, they will also hold a solo concert in the spring.¹

Additionally, six more demos were uploaded to the group’s SoundCloud: three older tracks re-recorded with all members and three brand-new ones.

It seems that the debut of the new iteration of KAQRIYOTERROR will indeed take place on December 29 at Nagoya Club Quattro, during codomomental’s New Year’s event.²

At the end of October, Zenbu Kimi no Sei da, Seireki13ya, TOKYO TEFUTEFU, Not Secured, Loose Ends, and futatsuna made a sudden trip to Shanghai, where they performed several shows alongside local idols. This marks the first time codomomental has ever performed in China.

コドモメンタルINC. in Shanghai Day2#ぜんぶ君のせいだ #星歴13夜 #NSLEjp #TOKYOてふてふ #弐ノ名 pic.twitter.com/d4UvMEKZKw
— codomomental/コドモメンタル (@codomomental) October 26, 2024

The groups that participated in the trip also created accounts on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.

Other exclusive photos uploaded to the Chinese organizer’s account:

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5096020297910449
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5095992079159517
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5095989134758783
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5095987222152006
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5094811904511132

According to an announcement by the Chinese side, codomomental will return to Shanghai on May 1, 2025, for an event where the company’s groups will perform exclusively.³

After returning to Japan, codomomental (now joined by Tademaru Ichiren) held two Halloween concerts, which, unfortunately, Yui Urari had to miss due to health reasons.⁴

Speaking of Seireki13ya, Yowa Minai‘s birthday show was recently held, where, as expected, the birthday girl unveiled her solo song. It was later revealed that it was written by syva.⁵

Recently, there was also an announcement of her first photobook, which will go on sale on November 30th.⁶

On December 31, TOKYO TEFUTEFU will hold a concert marking the end of their current tour and celebrating their fourth anniversary. According to a recent livestream, an important announcement is also expected at the show.⁷

Different lineups, different milestones—they’re all important; I won’t forget that.
I hope I can meet you again someday, you who once loved me.
And to you who are by my side now, I’ll never make you sad again.
I wonder what future awaits us? Exciting, isn’t it?⁸

I used to think that as you move forward, you only lose what’s important to you,
but it turns out you just gain even more.⁹

From Mary Lust’s Twitter.

Meanwhile, Zenbu Kimi no Sei da celebrated their ninth anniversary. The group held a livestream¹⁰ where they performed one song from each of their albums and there was also a small quiz about the history of “Zenkimi.” Here are a few interesting facts I picked out for you:

There are two possible dates to mark the group’s debut. Zenbu Kimi no Sei da’s first performance took place on October 12, 2015. However, even earlier, on July 8, “Zenkimi” released their first digital single, “Neojealous Melochaos.”
As I mentioned before, the pre-debut lineup of the group included another member who had to leave before debuting due to family circumstances. Her name was Okusuri (“Medicine”), and according to Megumi, she fit the theme of “morbid cuteness” more than anyone else. As I also previously noted, she could draw, and Megumi still keeps her drawing of the group’s members. It’s also now known that she drew the avatar of Hayashi Takahiro, the leader of the “Zenkimi Band.” Additionally, an avatar she created is still being used on LINE by Nobuhide Imamura.
Originally, Zenbu Kimi no Sei da was formed around Gomochi. Although Megumi was already part of codomomental, she had no intention of becoming an idol. However, she participated in the audition at the director’s insistence, as he wanted to see how she and Gomochi would look together. According to Megumi, she wouldn’t have joined “Zenkimi” if Gomochi hadn’t been there.
Next to join the group was Mashiro, followed by Aza, then Asuna, and finally Yotsu.

In preparation for their tenth anniversary, Zenbu Kimi no Sei da announced a series of talk livestreams dedicated to each of their albums. The first one, focused on the album “YamikawaIMRAD,” has already taken place.¹¹ Here are a couple of interesting facts:

As some may know, although Yotsu is featured on the album cover and Asuna is absent, Yotsu’s voice can only be heard in one song. According to Megumi, it’s either “Ai whynot” or “YowamushiLullaby,” while Asuna’s voice is present in all tracks.
At the time, the group shot a music video for the song “KimiKimiSyndromeX,” but for certain reasons, it was never released. This song is also notable for its live performances, where fans shout “You are!” after the final line (“I’m not part of your world, am I?”). This fan response was supposed to be included in the video as well.

I’ve thought so many times that I don’t want to let you go.
And the very fact that I can keep thinking that over and over again is truly incredible.

I met you, and I met the members.
And these days, where precious things repeat over and over, bring me immense joy.

Thank you to everyone who watched our anniversary livestream.
I want to keep having fun with you in the future, and I’ll stand here until the very end. I’m sure of it.¹²

When you try to put time into words, it seems so long, but in reality, it passes in the blink of an eye.
The fact that I keep wishing to stand here until the very end, no matter what, is thanks to the “Patients” who supported me, to all of you. Thank you so much!
Let’s stay together from now on too!¹³

From Kisaragi Megumi’s Twitter.

Unfortunately, the release dates of the group’s upcoming singles have been postponed. “Koyubi” will be available on streaming platforms starting November 27, with a physical release scheduled for December 11. Meanwhile, “MEMAI POEM” will be released on both streaming services and CDs on December 25.¹⁴ According to a recent livestream, the delay was caused by the discs not arriving in time for the original deadlines.¹⁵

Based on information from online stores,¹⁶ the composer of “Koyubi” is Sosuke Watanabe (guitarist of Lie and a Chameleon), who previously wrote the song “KyokyoZitsuzitsu ~IMF~” for the group.

If you participated in the crowdfunding campaign for the Blu-ray release of Zenbu Kimi no Sei da’s performance at Budokan, you’re likely aware that the production of the discs was delayed for quite some time. However, it has finally been completed, and the discs will soon be sent to the backers.¹⁷

The group also held a livestream¹⁸ where the members reminisced about this historic event and discussed various details of the release. At the same time, there was an opportunity to purchase the Blu-ray for those who hadn’t participated in the crowdfunding campaign.

According to Megumi, the delay occurred on the side of the company responsible for producing the discs. She also noted that there will likely be no further opportunity to purchase the Blu-ray.

Megumi: Listen! You know, I was absolutely certain I would perform at Budokan. I’ve shared this story in a lot of places, but back in the days when Togare was with us, after Mene decided to leave, we held auditions. You know, the ones in the training camp format. At that time, the four of us were preparing for a performance at O-EAST, or maybe… I don’t know. There was this big stage where we performed “Nudity la riot” starting with an a cappella intro, and then the music joined in, right? The four of us practiced this for the first time in a tiny rehearsal space, standing in front of the mirror, and as soon as we started singing a cappella… At that moment, I suddenly envisioned a hall full of spectators. I stood there, unable to hold back tears, with goosebumps all over. At that moment, I felt like I wasn’t in the training camp but on a real stage. And there were so many spectators, so many “Patients.” It was because of that moment that I became certain I would stand on the stage at Budokan one day. Having seen that vision, I was convinced I would see it in reality, and even though I performed there, there were definitely more people in my vision than there. So, let’s do our best! I keep doing all this, believing that it will definitely happen, so let’s do our best!
All: Let’s do our best!
Megumi: I don’t know, maybe it won’t even be in Japan…
All: True!
Megumi: So I hope for your support, everyone. Please come to our concerts!

Megumi: When you think about it, Ri-chan got married after this (Budokan performance).
All (in awe): Wow, really!
Megumi: Ri-chan said she would definitely stay with me until I performed at Budokan. Even amidst all the member departures. She said she absolutely wanted to perform there with me, and she stayed by my side all this time.

A few moments from the stream.

I was so happy to be able to perform at Budokan with Megumi-chan 💓
And because of that, my dream of getting married has also come true 🎀
I’m truly, truly grateful to her 💓¹⁹

From RISA’s Twitter.

In case you didn’t know, RISA is also expecting a child.²⁰

At the end of the livestream, a big joint tour of Zenbu Kimi no Sei da and TOKYO TEFUTEFU (NEO ROMANCE BUTTERFLY) was announced. It will start on January 11 with Megumi’s birthday show and end on May 5 with an event celebrating codomomental’s 10th anniversary.²¹

On November 25th, the annual event dedicated to Nobuhide Imamura‘s birthday will take place. All currently active codomomental groups will perform there.²² They also promise to make some important announcement at the event.²³

I translated the first part of GESSHIRUI‘s paid article series, where the lyricist provides an in-depth discussion about the new generation of codomomental groups’ members:

“A sense of shame is the last thing an artist needs.”

I honestly don’t understand how society perceives this music industry. Music is the art of time, and, as I’ve written here before, it exists only because someone dedicates a few minutes or even tens of minutes of their time to it. Naturally, this is not just the time of listeners and fans, but also of the performers (whether they are instrumentalists, singers, dancers, or others), the time of the staff supporting them, the time of the composers, arrangers, and lyricists who bring this music into being—the time of everyone who contributes to the creation of these works. And it is precisely because I so acutely recognize both the value of this time and the complexity of the process that I continue to engage in music, holding great respect for everyone involved. However, we’ve encountered many people who fail to grasp this simple truth. The reality of this has been painful and tormenting for me, and every time I faced it, I began to hate this music industry so much that I couldn’t help myself. Yet, watching people who shine in this space, who strive desperately to shine, and each time I felt their growth, I found renewed strength and a desire to give my all to this place just as desperately. And so, I’ve spent about ten years here.

Good evening (though I usually write in the morning, and my articles are published spontaneously, so my greetings change frequently—sorry about that, I hope you understand). This is GESSHIRUI. Thank you to everyone who buys my articles, clicks the like button, gives them high ratings, or simply reads them.

Today, I’d like to start a new series of articles called “New Generations,” dedicated to members who have only recently joined and are currently working hard in codomomental INC groups. (As I was editing this part, I realized the article turned out surprisingly long, so I’d like to divide it into several parts.) Previously, I wrote an article called “Leaders,” where I discussed the leaders of codomomental INC groups. If you haven’t read it yet and are interested, I’d be happy if you check it out. In that article, I openly (which I’ll warn about in advance) talk about many things, including struggles that leaders face (you can read the translation of that article here).

Yes, I’ve been working in this music industry for about 10 years now. As for producer, staff, and musicians, many of them have been in it for much longer… I understood this before, but I still feel a strange sense of gratitude knowing that the works we’ve created over such a long time, dedicating ourselves to music, are still loved—I’m truly thankful for that. The other day, I glanced at our internal release numbering list and found that the total had surpassed 150. It includes unreleased works as well, but for a music company that functions as both an independent label and an artist management agency, this is an outstanding achievement. There are labels that work with international music or external artists, but it’s rare to find companies in the music industry that have released so many works with their own artists (though few know this). However, when you think about how everything began in 2014 with the predecessor of codomomental INC—a creative crew called “codomomental”—and even earlier than that, it becomes clear that we’ve come a long way.

Now then, let’s move on to the main part of the article. Please only continue reading if you’re genuinely interested. Today, I’d like to talk about two members: Higaminari Yuchiomi (NSLE) and Tsukumo “St. Lightning Beast” Romi (futatsuna). I’m not sure if I need to explain this every time, but I’ll say it: this article is not an advertisement or anything of the sort. I’m writing it in this format precisely because the modern world is full of unnecessary suspicion and malice.²⁴

In the continuation of the article, the author presents various stories, facts, and observations, ranging from the girls’ backgrounds and circumstances of their joining codomomental, to how they integrated into their groups and what part of their potential they have already managed to realize. This provides not only an excellent opportunity to form more detailed impressions of the newcomers but also a rare chance to view them through the lens of someone behind the scenes, allowing for a deeper understanding of their motivations, goals, and experiences.

If you want to read the continuation, follow these steps:

Follow this link and purchase the original article (¥300, approximately $2). The site accepts PayPal and foreign cards.
Copy the last three paragraphs from the paid section of the article.
Go to this site and paste the copied text into the text field. Click the “hash darling, hash!” button.
Below the text “You are awesome! Here is your MD5 checksum:” a password will appear. Copy it.
Use it on this page.

codomomental bulletin #74

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