#J-Idol #Boku-Ao #Boku-ga-Mitakatta-Aozora This text and podcast are based on essays about the Japanese idol group, Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora (commonly known as Boku-Ao), written by a fan living in Kyushu, Japan, and originally posted on the Japanese platform "note." The author resides in Kyushu and shares their personal journey with the group. AI was used for translation, and voice synthesis software was used for the audio. The first nationwide tour took a breather after the Nagoya show in late April. We entered May with the news that the selection announcement for the 6th single would be streamed at midnight on the last day of the Golden Week holidays. Golden Week kicked off with GirlsAward on the 3rd, featuring Suzuki and Yagi. I believe it was streamed on ABEMA. Someday, I want to see Boku-Ao as a standalone group walking that runway-style flower path while singing. Live houses where the stage is almost at eye level are great, but there’s something special about seeing them on a stage you have to look up at. I love the visuals of them standing on a high stage, with the penlights in the stands blurring into a soft glow in the background. Of course, when that time comes, I want to see it in person, not through a screen. On the 5th, the Boku-Ao Music Festival was held in Yokosuka. TikTok provided generous hour-long streams for both the day and night sessions. This event had a different structure from their usual lives, and watching it on TikTok, I felt it might have been one of their most satisfying events to date. They were blessed with beautiful weather, too. For both sessions, they performed songs by Kimaguren, and I was struck by how incredible professionals are—the way they hyped the crowd was master-class. The acoustic version of Seifuku no Parachute was teased on TikTok beforehand, and while members told us in their blogs to "look forward to this," it truly exceeded expectations. Then there was Toa-chan covering Miyuki Nakajima; her low register is simply magnetic. During the live portions, Hitomin (Hitomi Hasegawa) showcased an English rap part and a flute performance. She also appeared in several small-group vocal units, seemingly having more stage time than most. In her blog that same day, she mentioned, "I did a bit of rapping during my lessons in Korea." It confirms she really did have a period where she was aiming to be a K-pop idol. Hitomin has been revealing a lot of "first-time" information lately. She has so many "drawers" to pull from; I’m excited to see what else she has in store. Speaking of revealing things, have you noticed managers popping up more often in SHOWROOM streams lately? We don't see them on screen, of course, but I’d love it if they just did a two-person dialogue format. They are undoubtedly the closest adults to the members and share so many experiences; it would be fascinating. For the older members, these managers are likely like slightly older sisters, and I bet they often find more in common with their managers than with some other members. Back to the Music Festival: while songs like Suki Nari, Aokan, and Ano Hi were performed by everyone, most other tracks used smaller units. From the stream, I saw Yagi and Suzuki doing solo covers, alongside appearances by Iwamoto, Yanagihori, Yoshimoto, Sugiura, Shiogama, and Hasegawa. It gave the impression that stage time was reserved for those evaluated as capable of singing live. Since they were co-starring with professionals, they couldn't show anything below standard. It felt like a glimpse into a certain professional severity: if you don't have the skills, you don't get the spotlight. In that context, Hitomin’s frequent appearances stood out compared to her usual position. Even so, at the time, I didn't think she'd make the 6th single selection. I want her to, of course, but if she moved up to Aozora now, she might get buried. She actually wrote something similar in her blog after the announcement.
