Featured Image: Maison de Queen. It's October and the Idol Halloween Season has officially begun! Halloween lives are already happening and Twitter feeds have begun to fill up with idols in Halloween costumes. Idol Halloween is arguably the biggest idol holiday of the year (competing only with Idol X-Mas and Idol April Fools) but it is undisputably the most bloody, hence Homicidols' favorite. This year I will actually celebrate Idol Halloween in Japan! I am very excited to be able to check that item off my bucket list. But, you don't have to fly all the way to Japan to see idols!

Featured image: Quubi. It has been a rough couple of weeks for underground idol in Japan. Last week we were bombarded with notices of idols being struck down by illness. This week it was lives and festivals being cancelled due to heavy rains and flooding. Next week, I fully expect to hear about disruptions caused by plagues of frogs or insects. Perhaps Kami-sama sent the weather that cancelled shows in order to give the ailing idols some down time to rest and recover? God wants to see their favorite idols healthy and performing for a long time.

Featured Image: Kaishin no Ichigeki. It was a fairly quiet week in the world of chika idol with no truly major news. That may be because a small plague seems to be sweeping the scene this week. Idols are calling in sick with the flu and fevers and wota are being asked to wear masks at buppan. For once, the Oshiloss Corner looks more like an hospital room than a morgue. Stay safe and mask up everybody!

Featured Image: 9DayzGlitchClubTokyo. This was one of those weeks that emphasized why I still plug away at this site even though the RealWorld® leaves me little time and energy to do much besides work for a living. I won't go into it too much, but suffice it to say, it's been a rough few weeks. They are the kind of weeks where I lean on the music and the performances of the artists I love to get me through it, and they sure did deliver. So, for anyone else who's having a tough time, I hope you find a similar life line below.

Featured Image: NEO JAPONISM. It was an all-around crazy week in our world. We had some big-name departures but were consoled by some big, surprise releases dropping out of the sky. Then we also had a couple big names from the past make unexpected appearances. It's all documented below, but first:

Featured Image: diig. We are nearing the end of summer which got me thinking about the court astronomer who established Japan's 72 micro-seasons. I mean, we debate what is the Song of Summer each year, but just think if we had to have those discussion every five days. Imagine the chaos and confusion over on the Homicidols Discord Server: Wota 1: Hey! This new song by BANANANi TYPHOOOooON is definitely the Song of Wata no Hana Shibe Hiraku!! Wota 2: What are you talking about? That season ended yesterday and it was only released on streaming.

Featured Image: ENVY PARANOID. It was a relatively quiet week for the bigger names in alternative idol, which, as it turns out, is excellent news for everyone else. With the exception of PIGMONZ, most of the heavy hitters took a bit of a breather, giving a real opportunity for the underdogs to get some room in the spotlight, and everyone featured below made very good use of it.

Featured Image: RAY. It was a brutal week, having to return to the realities of work after spending last weekend in a reality distortion bubble crafted by JIEMEI, THEΔRAREz, and a small horde of kaigai idols in LA. I pushed through, and we're back at the weekend again where I can now relax and plot my next escape to the Idol World where all of the meetings are off-kais and the only deadlines are for VIP line-ups. Here's a few upcoming options:

Featured Image: SoboRESONICA. This edition of The Weekender is brought to you from Los Angeles where we are on location for the US debut of JIEMEI. They kicked off their US tour last night with a mini live at Asayoru Maid Cafe. The venue serves as a cornerstone of the local idol scene and has become a stop for many unit passing through town. JIEMEI performed a handful of songs in maid uniforms before switching into yukata for a powerful acoustic set. I am now convinced that the acoustic version of "Autophilia" should be the default arrangement moving forward.

Just over four years ago, JIEMEI were born from Nagoya’s vibrant chika idol scene where everything is louder and infused with a punk swagger. Later this week, they arrive in the United States as one of the genre's most compelling live acts, bringing their compelling blend of alt-rock, emotional vocals, and unrelenting performance to American audiences for the first time.

Featured Image: LOST IN LOVE. The annual Tokyo Idol Festival is happening right now and, for the first time in four years, we have not dubbed it FXXK TIF Weekend. The reason behind the softening of the Homicidols heart is that the event organizers finally, explicitly, opened up ticket sales to overseas fans. I still haven't come around completely and put "Attending TIF" back on my bucket list for two main reasons:

Featured image: NARUKAMI. It's hot and humid, so I'm going to keep the preamble short and find some AC. The Oshiloss Corner is back but still in abbreviated form, which is good news for us. It must be too hot for Manager-san to fire all but the worst offenders.

Featured image: yubiningyou. Idol summer rolls on and we have a dearth of summer MVs to share this week. Since our focus here is on the alternative side of idol, there's not a swimsuit to be found among them, but a couple feature visits to the beach. Also, for what I believe is the first time in 504 Weekenders, we have no Oshiloss to report. If I had an unpaid intern, I would have them go through the last 503 editions to double check but, if I recall correctly, we almost had an oshiloss-free week one other time and it was spoiled by word of a last minute graduation.

Featured image: PassCode. It was a fantastic week for loud idol. One of our most legendary units was given a moment in the mainstream spotlight, some furious new releases from perennial favorites dropped, and we got a blast of heartsick nostalgia as some old live clips of one this site's most beloved former units surfaced out of nowhere. But first:

Featured image: Mazari. It has been a turbulent week, especially for those of us in Los Angeles for what was supposed to be the US debut of You'll Melt More! later today at Anime Expo. As you may have heard, the foundational chika idol unit ran into some issues at US customs, and had to immediately head back to Japan and cancel all scheduled appearances.

Featured image: Antithese. This week we are coming to you from Los Angeles where we will be spending some time with YURAPICO and catching next weekend's US debut of You'll Melt More! My first order of business in LA was delivering a shipment of t-shirts and other goods to YURAPICO as Homicidols has, once again, teamed up to design her US tour merch. This time it is an original design from Kerriepico.

Featured Image: REIRIE. 500 Weekenders published over the course of 500 weeks. If you do the math, it works out to just over nine-and-a-half years. That is nearly a decade of spending Friday nights digging through the dark, chaotic, endlessly weird and wonderful corners of the alternative, indie, and underground idol scene to deliver this synopsis each Saturday morning. When The Weekender first started, groups were disbanding and re-emerging in new formations and under new names faster than we could keep track of, and most of the MVs were live performance clips and badly lit dance videos that looked and sounded like they were shot on a toaster.

Every year around this time, we round up what we feel have been the best alternative, indie, and underground idol EP, singles, MV, and albums of the year so far. It's usually and easy and enjoyable job, but something was very different this year. 2026 has been an utterly relentless avalanche of incredible releases that's placed us in a state of perpetual sensory overload. The sheer volume of top-tier music dropped over the last six months has turned what used to be a pleasant afternoon's task of casually identifying what's "best" into a grueling weeks-long comparative analysis.

Featured image: Ringwanderung. Summer rolls on with a flurry of activity and overseas idol events, including: pinponpanpon are back in the US and causing mayhem. Today they are in Chicago for Summersmash. They have also announced an unofficial Anime Expo after party in LA for July 3rd.

Featured Image: diig. As we ease into summer, things are starting to move at a slower pace. We didn't see a ton of new releases this week, but what was delivered was decidedly good. We did get some some huge news on the overseas live front (just below) as well as well as in the Oshifound Corner, so be sure to read all the way to the bottom. First up:

Banner image: ki.o.ku. It's the last Weekender of May and it seems like Idol Summer is off to a slow start this year. Usually, by now, the summer MV season has been officially kicked off (typically by a bikini-clad Niji no Conquistador) and we have begun the annual hunt for the Song of the Summer. Instead, it was left up to freshman unit ki.o.ku to get the ball rolling with their MV featuring a pensive trip to the beach with their bedroom furniture (see below). We appreciate them picking up the slack for their seniors.

Banner image: Shihatsu-Machi Underground. Whew! Just four posts away from hitting 500 consecutive Saturdays of Weekenders, the streak was almost broken this morning. I am traveling for my niece's Junior High School graduation (this whole preamble was supposed to be about the stark difference between these graduations of joy versus the devastating ennui of idol graduations we are typically subjected to). Unfortunately, the wifi at the Airbnb was not working last night so I was faced with the prospect of trying to ccompose this post on my phone or breaking our 496 week-long streak.

Banner Image: MADOROMI. Maybe something's in the water? This week saw a lot of releases incorporating more mature themes than usual. There's murder, suicide, disturbing imagery, lots of skin, and idols gazing into each others eyes like they are more than friends. On the MPAA spectrum, we are definitely closer to the R side of the ratings scale than PG-13. Basically, be careful pursuing this edition of the Weekender at work.

Banner Image: PSYCHOdelic. It was a pretty normal week in the world of underground, alt, and indie idol which, upon reflection, made me sad since it was also the week of ASP's last live. When Watanabe announced the end of WACK and dissolution of all of it's groups over the course of 2026, I assumed we would be in for 12 raucous months of noisy endings. Instead, a little over four months into the year, the members of ASP are deleting their social media accounts and vanishing with a whisper.

Banner image: NARUKAMI. I am on the road this week and compiling the Weekender on a cranky laptop with sticky keys and an ailing monitor. Please take any random typos or errors as reassurance that the compilation of The Weekender is one of the few remaining recurrent, web-based features yet to be turned over to AI. We here at Homicidols dot com still deliver 100% fully organic written content via a vintage hybrid parallel processing system known as the human brain. Enjoy the imperfection.

Banner image: Jiemei. Welcome back to another week in the idol trenches. As we know, there's not a lot of money in chika idol these days, so I doubt any of you arrived here expecting a slew of high-budget, narrative-driven cinematic MVs this week. This is good! Because almost every single music video that dropped in the last seven days is a performance, dance, or live MV. So, this week's theme is all about the "authentic" live idol experience and/or demonstrations that our favorite units can, in fact, move in sync.

Banner image: RAY. I've mentioned it just recently, but I'm compelled to say it again: 2026 is a banner year for extraordinary new music. Throughout each year, I keep a running playlist for potential Song of the Year candidates so I can refer to it come November/December for awards nomination season. It currently has 71 entries, and we're not even halfway through the year. This is all a good thing, except it makes the life of an amateur idol blogger more difficult. This week was no different, so let's get to it, but first:

Banner image: CHEMICAL X. The last few weeks have been a bit rough as I'm working six-days a week while watching my Twitter feed full of friends enjoying the cherry blossoms in Japan or attending lives in adjacent states that I can't currently escape to. The only upside is that I've been too tired to focus on my jealousy. Anyway, I need to stop whining and get back to work while living vicariously through you lucky souls heading out to idol lives this weekend. Keep posting for the rest of us!

Banner image: Quubi x YOLOZ. The first Weekender of April is always a difficult task due to the struggle of sorting the April Fools Day pranks from the more serious releases. Since around half of the idol units that we cover display glimmers of insanity on a regular basis, it's hard to know just when they're joking. Now that April 1st is firmly in the rear view mirror, let's get down to the serious business of idol:

Banner image: Sengoku. Idol April Fools Day is the third biggest holiday on the idol calendar (next to Idol Halloween and Idol X-Mas). While its still April 1st in the west, the day has already come and gone in Japan. So, while you hide from cringey co-workers, annoying family members, and all of their corny pranks, enjoy this collection of the more creative April Fools Day stunts pulled off by idols this year.

Banner image: SICXXX. Everyone must be distracted by cherry blossoms and forgot to upload any MVs this week. Its weird. With a few notable exceptions, there's a dearth of new music videos to share. We still have plenty of intriguing new music and heartbreaking oshiloss news, so we are not lacking for content. Oh yeah! The WACK auditioned camp happened this week as well. We saved that bit of meh for the end.

Banner image: XINXIN. It's been a rough slog through March, especially on the Oshiloss front. I'm also stuck at work for the foreseeable future with no time off to travel to see any idol lives. This means I will need to live vicariously through others so, for anyone who makes it out see idols, be sure to let us know what the rest of us missed over on the Homicidols Discord server.

Banner image: BNSI. I'm hanging out in Vegas this weekend, so I'm going to keep the preamble short: welcome to your 486th consecutive weekly digest of chika idol news, releases, disbandments, and unexpected revivals.

I haven't really touched on it yet, but 2026 so far has been a monster of a year for new music. The sheer quantity of high quality releases has been difficult to keep up with. I will try to synthesize it all in a post soon but, for now, I'm just trying to categorize it all into overstuffed playlists.

Zenbu Kimi no Sei da. is currently half-way through the European leg of their 10th anniversary "ZO-HEN-SHIN-SHOKU AI-rosion TOUR,” an ambitious, open-ended, global undertaking that has expanded to over 100 shows across all 47 Japanese prefectures and 15 countries.

Banner image: THE ORCHESTRA TOKYO. We've now had back-to-back weeks of seriously bad news on the oshiloss front. At least the latest trend is to announce the unit's disbandment and reboot dates at the same time. I appreciate this innovation as embedding hope in disappointment this way helps alleviate the need for the most severe therapies.

Banner Image: Astrain. This was a great week for new releases but we did get some disappointing news on the oshiloss front. Let's start with the good stuff:

Banner image: PIGGS. Happy Valentine's Day!! Go buy a box of chocolates for your oshi and then eat them yourself since they don't accept edible gifts from wota. While enjoying your bons bons, we got a lot to go over this week, so let's dive in:

Today we, once again, turn our site over to BobIsRandom, denizen of the Homicidols Discord Server and REBEL REBEL’s number one overseas fan. For any other readers out there who have the urge to put into writing their thoughts and feelings about an idol unit, album, MV or event, feel free to forward unpublished articles to daemetal@gmail.com and we will consider posting it here on Homicidols.

Banner image: KAQRIYOTERROR. It was an odd week in alternative idol. Very few MVs were released and groups even seemed to take a break from graduations and disbandment announcements. While we won't be complaining about the latter, it was certainly a bit strange to have so little content for once. Perhaps everyone is planning to give us gifts or break our hearts next week on Idol Valentines Day. We shall see.

Banner image: zerobansen to yoakemae. My most recent expedition to Japan ended early this week. I am back in The States and deep into the post-trip blues. Transitioning back to work while powering through jet lag is never fun either. Still, I had a fabulous time in Japan. I saw awesome idols, phenomenal bands, and good friends. My spirits were lifted and my soul restored. Now it's time to get back to the grind, save some money, and start planning for my next trip. In the meantime: Idols are coming West!

Banner image: YOLOZ. My trip to Japan is, sadly, drawing to a close. This is my last weekend in Tokyo for the foreseeable future and I am scrambling to get my last few shows in. Last night was YURAPICO's birthday party which was a blast. Shion dropped by for a mini-GUSO Drop reunion and Boss Rei's fancy animal punk band, Knuckle Chiwawa, performed for the first time in over a year. It was an very loud and awesome evening. Today is the finale of the "tie in reaction" concert series featuring about 20 standout shoegaze and alt-rock bands as curated by of…

Banner Image: RAY. I am still reporting from about a half-a-day into the future in Japan and having a fabulous time. In some standout moments, I got to see our Debut of the Year winners, Made in Maiden alongside of ZIGA, and ArmaElla, all for the first time (as well as Shuumatsu piero for the first-and-last time). Last night, I attended an off kai event for MAD JAMIE following her Zepp Shinjuku one-man earlier this week. Akubi served as bartender while the members of d.i.s stuffed about 20 of us with a half-ton of home-cooked dishes.

Greetings from Japan! I arrived safely earlier this week and am experiencing that bizarre time warp where it's Saturday evening and I am finishing up this Weekender so it can publish at 8:00 am this morning, 15 hours ago. So far, I've had a great time in Tokyo. I've seen RAY, ponderosa may bloom, YURAPICO, PLANCK STARS, CIRCLE CRUSHER, SUPER MACARONI SALAD, and more. I need to wrap this up an head off to Shihatsu-machi Underground and RETRORAIN soon. I am enjoying myself so much that I've forgotten to post a single thing to Twitter.

This is it. The final task to put that last nail in the coffin of the year that was 2025. The greater Homicidols community had their collective say about what were the best releases and moments of 2025 (congratulations to NEO JAPONISM!), but now, it's Team Homicidols turn to voice our unfettered opinions. While we may not always be objectively correct, we do keep the site running and pay all the bills so it's only fair. So, before we turn the final page on 2025, we wanted to make sure that there a were a few things written down for posterity.

Banner Image: The Idols of Be Rise Lab. We did it!! We collectively survived 2025 and came out the other side. Happy New Year! Compared to last year at this time when I couldn't walk and was in constant and excruciating pain, 2026 is already a huge improvement. To celebrate this wonderful new start, I will be heading off to Japan on Monday for three weeks of idols, idols, a couple of bands, and more idols.

Happy 2026!! The ballots have been counted, the results certified, and your winners are announced below BUT before we get to that: I want to thank everyone who participated in this year's Best of the Year activities. We had a 30% increase in voter participation over last year which I really appreciate. Ten years into this venture that is Homicidols, it only means anything because of you all, so "Thank you!" for supporting our collective mission of promoting underground and independent idols to the wider world.

Banner Image: Kaishin no Ichigeki. Four more shopping days until Idol X-Mas, and as we get distracted by the season, don't forget that we are also in the midst of the Homicidols Best of 2025 voting period. Head over and cast your ballot if you haven't already. As a special holiday treat, we have far more items in the Oshifound Corner than Oshiloss. Kamisama bless us, every one!

It’s that familiar point on the calendar where we stop pretending we're going to remember everything clearly and put it all down for posterity. Another year of alternative, indie, and underground idol has burned past in a blur of debuts, disappearances, reinventions, surprise highs, devastating lows, and orchestrated chaos. You debated, evangelized, and quietly fixated on the moments that stuck with you the most. We took all of that collective noise, filtered it through community consensus, and emerged with our OFFICIAL nominees for Homicidols Best of 2025.

Banner Image: RETRORAIN. I am spending all weekend putting the finishing touches on the Homicidols Best of 2025 nominations. Look for the nomination post including your ballot to drop early in the coming week. The fun part is finding images for all of the nominations from over the course of the year which has been complicated by Twitter's advanced search function failing to work entirely. Or maybe the function still works but is just locked behind a pay wall because the richest man in the world wants even more cash. Whatever the case, the world got just a little bit shittier.