Manako Chiii Manako

Manako was an honor student in Junior High School ranking in the top of her classes. While in Junior High, she became interested in various subcultures such as Visual Kei, Eroguro and other Japanese music niches. Additionally, she was a member of an after-school music club which continued into High School.

Manako's high grades meant she was able to transfer to one of the top High Schools in her area, however her grades started to slip in a peer group of other talented pupils and eventually fell to the bottom band of class rankings. From this, her view of herself changed from somebody who is able to do what she wants in life to somebody who isn't special, surrounded by depression and ennui.

During high school, Manako was apart of a Porno Graffiti cover band which deepened her interest in alternative music. By looking at who influenced the members of Porno Graffiti and other bands, she became a fan of influential Japanese bands such as The Yellow Monkey and P-Model. Her interest in P-Model also comes from the anime K-On, where the main cast share the last name of the P-Model member who plays the same instrument they do. Through this, she started following Hirasawa Susumu and eventually Togawa Jun among other New Wave acts.

Manako's interest in BiS developed during her period of subcultural discovery, eventually resulting in her auditioning for the third iteration of the group after hearing about the second generation's breakup. She "jumped into" the chance to audition and after thinking she failed the process, received a call two weeks later informing her of her passing.

Manako's parents were surprised at her decision to join an idol group, since during her adolescence she was quiet and never talked about how she truly felt around them, thinking it was best to do what they wanted and focus on studies. Her mother was hesitant at first after looking up information about the band, worrying about the possibility of her daughter being tricked or exploited and forced to do a naked PV. After speaking with her mother and saying she wants to live the life she chooses and that her words made her feel suicidal, her mother apologised and supported her decision along with her father.