Limited edition April Fools banner
For some reason I always get stopped on the street by complete strangers asking if I like SUPER GiRLS.
Well, if you really must know… I don’t. I do not like SUPER GiRLS.
I love them!
Which is weird considering how I used to feel about them (extremely fascinating “hater” stuff). There are two reasons I now consider myself a fan : 1) Reira Arai and 2) SUPER☆GiRLS “Maidoru“.
Who is Reira Arai?
Reira, aka Rachel, is… a super girl. *looks at research notes* She is also a member of the pop group SUPER GiRLS. Hmm, that’s all my notes say. She can probably introduce herself better than I can:
Quickly describe her personality in one word! …SUPERFECT!
Renai Rule is kind of Riera’s song because of the multiple solos. It’s also her favorite song, probably because of that. According to my iphone I’ve listed to this song almost 200 times, which is 150 times more than any other SUPER GiRLS song. Take that Kira Pure Power!
The group also has a contest tied in with their upcoming single “1,000,000 Smile” that allows fans to cast a vote for their favorite member through their mobile site. The girl with the most votes gets a solo track on their next single. If Reira wins the contest, she mentioned that she’ll sing Renai Rule, so it is imperative that she wins. I’ll be voting when I receive my copy. Evidently I jinx elections though *sigh*.
What is Maidoru?
The second reason my fandom leveled up is because of supermerlion’s Maidoru walkthrough. Previously, I only knew of the Maidoru concept through the Mecha Mecha Iketeru “Idol Special” after PASSPO accused SUPER GiRLS of ripping off their “Everybody Makes an Idol” gimmick.
The account profile screen displays your favorite member and your “Producer Points”.
Maidoru (“My Idol”) is a mobile website that fans (including those overseas :) ) can use to give their favorite member support. The site has other functionality but the support aspect is what interests me. You support your favorite member by acquiring “Producer Points” (which are included with all purchased goods), and then spending those virtual points on your favorite member (in the form of increasing their stats). You gain a few points for free just by logging in and visiting your favorite girl’s blog, but I think the fastest way to earn them is to buy their merchandise (or go to their events if you are in Japan). I bought their upcoming single (which is significant because it broke my personal rule of only buying predia and PASSPO stuff), so when it arrives in a few weeks I’m curious how many points will be included. There is a special section where you can enter in the key code that is included with the cd.
The following photos show Reira’s “Producer Point” stats in comparison with another member, Rika Shimura, who I *think* may be one of the more popular members. She is currently my second favorite, but fans can only support one member at a time. I’m the kind of guy that brings several different colored glow sticks to concerts, so I am against that policy… in principal. (<- that makes me sound smart) (<- but that makes me sound stupid)
(edit: I’ve been spending more time at the site and I was looking at the wrong stats to determine their rank. By clicking on each of the girl’s member page, it shows how many people have selected that particular girl as their favorite. That’s a more accurate measure of their popularity than the points fans have spent on their attributes.)
I translated the categories; there are “normal” categories like singing and dancing ability, and member specific ones. The “ojisan” ranking is related to her catchphrase: “the appearance of a cool ojisan”. She seems like the “cool” idol type, but I’m not sure about the “ojisan” part. I’m probably missing the context. I’ve been putting all my points in singing and looks.
Rika’s numbers are all higher than Reira’s, and I just checked today, and they’ve gone up a lot since last night (btw I’m always up at 3AM, it’s when my brain does it’s best work. I don’t know what that means). Anyway, Her “baka” rating is also a reference to her catch phrase. It’s interesting that her highest points are for her unique categories, while the opposite is true for Reira.
After I spent five “Producer Points” on Reira’s singing ability, the following message appeared: “Rachel’s singing was awarded 5 points.” Yay! She is on the road to SUPER☆stardom *vroom vroom*
Reira get’s high marks for looks (ルックス) and singing ability (歌唱力), but she has to remember not to neglect her “Ojisan” skills. Actually I don’t mind her ignoring that… because it’s kind of weird.
SUPER GiRLS has a three city tour in April. I was seriously considering their Osaka concert on April 7, because the following day, PASSPO and predia have a joint concert in Nagoya. I think it’s awesome that predia is finally getting equal billing, and no longer being relegated to PASSPO’s opening act. I have a class on Friday afternoons though, so considering the 14 hour flight, it’s impossible to make it by Saturday, and it’s not really a class I can skip, although I was tempted. Going to Osaka would have meant arriving at KIX airport, which is a cool airport that PASSPO fans are familiar with.
I also like it because it’s named after an American cereal.
SUPER GiRL Talk 