MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN | Discography | Events | Gallery | Music Videos |
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN (豆柴の大群; Horde Of Mameshiba) was a WACK (and Kuro-chan) unit, initially made up of finalists from the televised MONSTER IDOL competition, active from 2019 to 2024.
MAMAESHiBA NO TAiGUN's style was generally more light-hearted than other groups under WACK; Being produced by a famous comedian, their style is typically playful and often comedic, with a direction of appealing to both adults and children. Having been birthed through a popular national television programme, MAMESHiBA's style on first impressions initially appeals to a more mainstream audience. However, this increased public attention combined with their comical approach and WACK's unorthodox publicity practices has meant that MAMESHiBA would still (probably accidentally) generate occasional outrage.
From their formation up to late 2022, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN had the most stable line-up out of the active WACK groups. This came to a close with the graduation of Kaedephoenix and the introduction of the "MUST CHANGE" project, which saw new members and the entire original line-up being placed on a year's probation for bad behaviour.
Upon the end of the founders' probation period, members Hanaemonster and Miyukiangel were removed from WACK, prompting the unit as a whole to end activities and merge with their sister group, TONAi BOUSHO, to form MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN TONAi BOUSHO a.k.a. MONSTERIDOL.
Final Lineup (Joined MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN TONAi BOUSHO a.k.a. MONSTERIDOL)[]
- Nao Of Nao (Founding member, fired December 14th, 2022, returned on the same day)
- Aika The Spy (Founding member, fired December 14th, 2022, returned on the same day)
- Leona Empire (Joined December 17th, 2022)
- Momoti Ngale (Joined December 17th, 2022)
Former Members[]
- Kashiwagi Yuki (Special temporary member, joined for one single in 2021)
- Kaedephoenix (Joined December 25th, 2019, graduated December 17th, 2022)
- Miyukiangel (Founding member, on probation since December 14th, 2022, left December 25th, 2023)
- Hanaemonster (Founding member, on probation since December 14th, 2022, left December 25th, 2023)
History[]
2019[]
In August 2019, an audition for a new WACK unit was held, with variety show comedian Kuro-chan being heavily involved with the process. The audition camp was filmed and later broadcast as the miniseries MONSTER IDOL, from November 6 to December 18.
On December 18, the group's line-up, name and debut song were revealed in MONSTER IDOL's final episode. The founding lineup consisted of WAgg trainee Hanae and WACK newcomers Nao, Aika and Miyuki.
After the episode broadcast, their debut music video for lead single "Restart" was posted on Tower Records' YouTube page, followed by an announcement that the single would go on sale tomorrow. For promo, members of the group (and Kuro-chan) visited Tower Records stores around the country to meet prospective fans.
On December 25, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN held their debut live, where not only was it announced that Kuro-chan would be dismissed as their producer, but also that MONSTER IDOL runner-up Kaede would join the group.
2020[]
On January 1, all MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN members changed their stage names; Aika's name was extended to Aika The Spy, Nao to Nao Of Nao, Miyuki to Miyukiangel and Kaede to Kaedephoenix. Hanae reverted to her former WAgg stage name, Hanaemonster. Along with these name changes also brought a change in image, with leather sukeban-inspired costumes suggesting an edgier and more "WACK-like" rebranding compared to the traditional idol appearance of their debut single. This upset a vocal portion of MAMESHiBA's fanbase, who complained to Watanabe about the changes and demanded Kuro-chan's rehiring.
Towards the end of January, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN opened their official YouTube channel, and announced that they would release their second single in the near future.
On February 12, a special reunion episode of MONSTER IDOL aired where Watanabe and Kuro-chan announced the next singles and sales campaign: Kuro-chan Vs WACK. If the music video for the Kuro-chan written and produced song Rocketstart gains more views on YouTube by 11pm on February 19 than the WACK written and produced song Daijoubu Sunrise, then Kuro-chan will be reinstated as the full-time producer. The music videos for the two songs dropped instantly after the show's broadcast. The following week, it was announced that Rocketstart had gained more YouTube views and Kuro-chan was reinstated as their producer.
On March 8, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN announced that they would release their debut album, Start, and hold their debut oneman live on May 13. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak prompting a state of emergency in Japan, the album release was delayed to June 10.
On May 14, the day after what would have been Start's original release date, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN released the digital single, FLASH while also revealing more information about the album. It was followed up by Donkusa Happy on the 27th.
During an episode of Suiyobi no Downtown aired on August 5, it was announced that MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN would make their major label debut under Avex, the same company as BiSH and EMPiRE. The music video for their first song, SAMABARi, was revealed the same day. The following month, B-side KOi NO KAKEZAN ABCDEFG was also released.
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's debut single, AAA, was released on October 7.
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN held a live "sports day" event at Tokyo Dome on October 11. As the name suggests, all members competed against each other in a series of sporting events. The sports day was broadcast live on their YouTube channel. At the end of the event, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN announced their first nationwide tour to take place from December to January.
On October 24, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN held their first one-man live. During the performance, they announced their second album, MAMEJOR! to be released in January 2021, and a photobook commemorating their first anniversary.
Throughout November and December, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN began releasing tracks from MAMEJOR! as digital singles, starting with ONEGAi KiSS ME on November 16. MAME NO UTA, MOTiON and TO THE FUTURE followed in the following weeks.
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's first photobook, Hatsuga, was released on December 19. Two days later, a digital EP compiling all of their digital singles from MAMEJOR! so far, Boku Dake no Kaito, was released.
In late 2020, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN were nominated for "New Artist Of The Year" at the Japan Record Awards. While they did not win, they attracted attention and controversy during the December 30th award ceremony, when the actual winner, Sanada Naoki, was declared. In response to the announcement, member Miyukiangel jumped in the air and "collapsed", with the remaining members carrying her offstage. The stunt attracted heavy criticism from viewers who felt that they had stolen attention away from the winner.
2021[]
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's major debut album, MAMEJOR!, was released on January 10.
In an episode of Suiyobi no Downtown aired on February 3, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's next release was announced for some time in the future, with the revelation that a special guest vocalist would feature on the track. Some selected options included Dempagumi Inc's Moga Mogami, SKE48's Matsui Jurina, and First Summer Uika. The conditions of who would feature on the new song would be determined on how much weight Kuro-chan could lose within a month. The following week, it was revealed that Kuro-chan had reached the target that would allow MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN to perform with First Summer Uika, and the digital single and music video for the song, LOVE CHiKYU feat. First Summer Uika, was released on February 11.
In early April, it was announced that AKB48 member Kashiwagi Yuki would be joining MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN temporarily sometime in the near future. During the announcement, Yuki, who had previously starred on variety shows with Kuro-chan, expressed bemusement at the prospect of having to work with him again.
On April 28, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN announced their first mini-album, WOW!! Season, and released their first song from the album, HASHiRE MAMESHiBA, as a digital single the following day.
In May, it was announced that MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN would release a single with Kashiwagi Yuki on August 31st, concurrently with six other singles that she would feature in across various WACK groups. While initially scheduled for August 31st, in early June the single was postponed so that Yuki could receive emergency surgery.
On June 18th, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN released the digital single, MAMESUMMER!?
WOW!! Season was released on July 14th.
In early October, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN performed the event, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN No Shissou, in which Pour Lui, Kamiya Saki, Coshoji Megumi and Bed In made guest appearances. After the show, they announced a new single, KiNOU WA MODORANAi / KOi NO FULL SWiNG. The first A-Side, KiNOU WA MODORANAi, was released midnight that same evening.
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's collaborative single with Kashiwagi Yuki, Kashiwagi Yuki Nari no MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN-Zutto ki ni Naru Zucchini-, was released on November 30th.
In early December, MAMESHiBA embarked on a live tour, Mameshiba48, alongside a number of AKB48-affiliated acts. They then released by KiNOU WA MODORANAi / KOi NO FULL SWiNG on December 22nd and ended the year with the digital single, Oshogatsu, which commemorated the impending new year, on December 27th.
2022[]
A home video release of MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's concert, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN No Shissou, was released on March 9th, as well as a new digital single, Sakura Iro. Sakura Iro was also included on CD in limited editions of Shissou.
In late April, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN announced an impending single, Mamen JOY / Machigai Darake no Hero, for July. The track Mamen JOY would be released as a separate digital single on April 25th, followed by Machigai Darake no Hero on July 13th. The complete single was released on July 20th.
On September 7th, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN launched the "MUST CHANGE PROJECT", a collation of multiple important announcements co-inciding with the start of their WE MUST CHANGE TOUR. In December, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN would release their fourth major single, MUST CHANGE, and, for the first time since their formation, would hold auditions for additional members. "MUST CHANGE" would be released in 5 separate solo editions, with the member selling the most copies of their respective CD recieving a solo debut as a reward. However, members who fail to sell enough copies of their CD will be forced to re-audition for the group, with them potentially being replaced by a new member if they don't improve. A week later, the digital version of MUST CHANGE was released to streaming services.
Kaedephoenix announced on November 25th that she would graduate at the finale of their WE MUST CHANGE TOUR. It was unknown if this was due to the MUST CHANGE project, or if the project would be affected by her departure.
MUST CHANGE was released on December 7th.
The results of the MUST CHANGE popularity challenge were revealed on December 10th, one day before a a one-day audition camp for new members, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN Nari no Gasshuku, would be held:
- Nao Of Nao (5,786pt )
- Miyukiangel (5,228pt)
- Kaedephoenix (5,020pt)
- Hanaemonster (4,835pt)
- Aika The Spy (4,737pt)
As she had sold the most copies, Nao Of Nao was declared the winner of the challenge and offered a solo debut. However, when it came to their probation and subsequent reauditioning, every active member excluding Kaedephoenix (who was already planning to graduate in one week) chose to participate in the camp. This included high-ranking members such as Nao and Miyukiangel.
The MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN Nari no Gasshuku camp began the following day, December 11th. Any members participating in the camp did so with the rule of they would be removed from MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN should they be eliminated.
During the audition's first day, Watanabe explained his reasoning behind the MUST CHANGE Project, as well as the cancellation of their YouTube series, MameTube: Members had cancelled an upcoming job that they had objected to, but did so last-minute and without consulting the appropriate parties, ultimately causing problems for staff. This incident was the tip of the iceberg, and after repeated incidents of unprofessionalism, Watanabe ultimately decided to launch MUST CHANGE in an attempt to make the members take their jobs more seriously.
On the final day of the audition camp, December 14th, members Nao Of Nao and Aika The Spy were eliminated from the camp. As per the rules of the audition, this also meant that the two members were effectively fired, though Watanabe Junnosuke himself expressed shock at the news. They were ultimately put back into the group, however, at the end of the audition camp all members were warned that they would be permanantly fired should they not improve within a year.
Kaedephoenix graduated from MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN on December 17th. On the same day, it was announced that Momoka and Reona would join.
2023[]
Momoka and Reona's first release as part of MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN was the digital single, MUST CHANGE -WE KEEP CHANGiNG-, an updated re-recording of their previous single with the new line-up. The digital single was released on the day of their debut performance, January 6th.
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN released their third and final studio album, MAMEQUEST, on February 22nd.
MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's final single, Puripuri/Sing Along Time!, was released on October 4th.
On December 2nd, it was announced that Miyukiangel and Hanaemonster would leave MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN and WACK on December 25th, due to failing their respective probation periods. Nao Of Nao and Aika The Spy had both improved over the duration of the year and were thus allowed to remain in the group.
What would become MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's final live, Ra:Start, took place on December 24th. Originally a farewell performance for departing members, Hanaemonster and Miyukiangel, Miku, the last remaining member of their rival unit, TONAi BOUSHO, appeared on stage with the remaining members of MAMESHiBA. It was then announced that MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN and TONAi BOUSHO would merge to form MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN TONAi BOUSHO a.k.a. MONSTERIDOL, with activities starting on January 6th, 2024. This ultimately meant the end of MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN's activities for the forseeable future, though MONSTERIDOL will still perform their songs.
Discography[]
Filmography[]
Music Videos[]
Television[]
- [2019.11.06 - 2019.12.18] MONSTER IDOL
Live Video[]
- [2022.03.09] MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN No Shissou
Publications[]
Games[]
Smartphone[]
- [2022] WACK ROCKiN' PARTY
Card Game[]
- [2020.07.01] Soredemo, Ongaku wa, Shinenai.
Live Events[]
Trivia[]
- Nao Of Nao and Kaedephoenix are both former members of iDOL STREET's trainee unit, Street-sei, and its subgroup, SAPPORO Snow♥Loveits.
- Leona Empire is a former member of Baby dolls.
- Including Hanaemonster, who was a member of WAgg, there are a total of three idol trainees in MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN. Only Aika The Spy and Momoti Ngale have not been in any other idol units.
- Hanaemonster and Nao Of Nao both previously participated in the WACK AUDiTiON CAMP 2019 together.
- Due to the audition being televised on a mainstream programme, MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN have had the most commercially successful debut out of any other WACK group so far.