| |
|---|---|
| MANAKO CHiii MANAKO | |
| Japanese |
マナコ・チー・マナコ |
| Nickname |
Manakochii |
| Group | |
| Years Active |
2019 |
| Genre |
J-Pop |
Manako Chiii Manako (マナコ・チー・マナコ) is a Japanese former idol. She was a founding third-generation member of BiS.
Biography
Manako Chiii Manako was revealed as a founding member of BiS' third generation on June 11th, 2019. She made her official debut at Tokyo Idol Festival in August, and her debut album, Brand-new idol Society, was released on August 14th.
One day prior to the release of Brand-new idol Society, Manako Chiii Manako suddenly withdrew from BiS. While she did not give a personal explanation for her departure, news articles claimed it was due to "creative differences". Manako later stated on Twitter that she "was forced to quit" and defended herself after Watanabe Junnosuke implied that her decision to join BiS was "half-assed".
Personal Life
Before joining BiS, 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 this period, 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.
Her 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 supports her decision along with her father.
Discography
Lyrics Written
Trivia
- Is a fan of Togawa Jun and Hirasawa Susumu among other New Wave artists.
- Was the second third-generation BiS member to reach 15k twitter followers and reveal her face.
- Favourite foods include chocolate parfait, Yokan Bread and mint chocolate ice-cream
- Claims to be able to lucid dream.
- Due to comments made by Watanabe Junnosuke in an interview prior to her leaving (in particular, how his ideal lineup for BiS' third generation was "five at first with one leaving early"), it has been heavily rumored that Watanabe had intended to remove Manako from the group from the very start. Manako herself also contributed to this theory (but did not explicitly confirm it) when she tweeted how she was forced to leave against her wishes, suggesting that she might have been fired.