Kamen Joshi

Kamen Joshi (仮面女子, Mask Girls) is a Japanese female idol group consisting of four teams.[1][2] The name refers to the members of the group wearing masks which cover up their faces in the choreographies of most songs and much of the promotional material, with the type of mask varying between the various subgroups. Despite this, the members are not anonymous, and all choreographies including masks have at least one section where members take them off on the fly. The music of Kamen Joshi is usually some form of rock or heavy metal, often with rap verses. However, the members, as is typical for idol groups but atypical for these genres, only rarely play instruments themselves and most performances are done with playback rather than with a band. Kamen Joshi performs daily at the P.A.R.M.S theater in Akihabara, Tokyo or the Kamen Joshi Theater in Osaka.

Kamenjoshi
Background information
OriginJapan
GenresJ-Pop, electropop, heavy metal, folk rock, rap rock
Years active2013 (2013)–present
LabelsAlice Project (agency)
Destroy Records (studio)
Associated actsAlice Juban
Steam Girls
Armor Girls
Easter Girls
Websitewww.alice-project.biz/kamenjoshi

Kamen Joshi became the first independent female artist to achieve a number-one single on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart in January 2015, achieving sales figures of over 130,000 copies of their single Genkidane☆ (元気種☆, Source of Joy).

Members and subgroups

The larger group of Kamen Joshi is an umbrella for the smaller groups Alice No. 10 (ja), Steam Girls (ja), Armor Girls (ja) and Easter Girls (ja).[3] Three groups (Alice No. 10, Steam Girls and Armor Girls) regularly perform at their exclusive "Kamen Joshi Café" in Pasela, Akihabara. Easter Girls regularly perform at "KamenJoshi Theater" (sic) in Osaka. There are also songs by Kamen Joshi as a whole, with about 25 members from all groups performing together. These are mostly in the musical style of Alice No. 10 and are performed with all participants wearing Alice No. 10's masks.

At Kamen Joshi concerts, the setlists include both performances by Kamen Joshi as a whole as well as performances by the subgroups, freely mixed. These concerts are referred to as Kamenjoshi one man live (仮面女子ワンマンライブ). One man live is the usual term used in Japan for concerts of a single band, even if it consists of multiple members, as opposed to festivals with multiple artists.

The center position of Alice No. 10 and informal leader of the Kamen Joshi as a whole wears a red hockey mask, while all other members wear regular off-white ones.

Alice No. 10 (アリス十番)

The first of the Kamen Joshi groups to be formed is called Alice Jūban (アリス十番, Alice Number Ten), while the spelling Alice No. 10 with the same pronunciation is also used. The latter is also the spelling used on western services like iTunes. Foreign fans often refer to the group with a simplified romaji spelling of Alice Juban. The name refers to the Alice Project, the idol project within which Kamen Joshi originates. Alice No. 10's music often includes metal breakdowns and rap sections. All members wear Jason Voorhees-style hockey masks and wield a selection of prop weapons ranging from chainsaws to giant scissors.

  • Mao Morishita (森下舞桜) ("Red Mask" position)
  • Nanaka Kawamura (川村虹花) (ja)
  • Yūri Kinoshita (木下友里) (ja)
  • Seri Suzumura (涼邑芹) (ja)
  • Saki Mitsuki (海月咲希)
  • Riru Kuwana (桑名利瑠)

Kawamura is also active as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, sporting the Kamen Joshi logo on her shorts during fights.

Steam Girls (スチームガールズ)

Steam Girls was formed as Alice Juban's official sister and rival group. Though their first song, "destiny", was a pop-rock number, since the release of "HIGH and LOW" in 2013, their music has come to incorporate more sounds from electronic and dance music. The members wear gas masks and leg warmers in a style combining elements from steampunk and cybergoth fashion. On stage, they carry distinctive prop guns (called "Laser Gun" and "Steam Gun") that fire laser beams and clouds of dry ice together, creating a vivid on-stage effect. Unusual for the pop music industry, member Tomoka Igari is bound to a wheelchair. She participates in the choreographies as far as her condition permits, moving across the stage the same as the other members but otherwise doing only the arm movements. Igari talking about her condition and presenting visual upgrades to her wheelchair are a regular part of Kamen Joshi solo concerts.[4]

  • Tomoka Igari (猪狩ともか) (ja) (group leader)
  • Yūka Kojima (小島夕佳)
  • Harumi Osuzu (大鈴はるみ)
  • Yurie Hashimoto (橋本友梨英)
  • Koharu Hinata (陽向こはる) (ja)
  • Fue Mizuno (水野ふえ) (ja)
  • Satsuki Mine (美音咲月)
  • Shihori Yukino (雪乃しほり) (ja)
  • Mia Miyase (宮瀬みあ)

Armor Girls (アーマーガールズ)

Armor Girls was formed after Alice No. 10 and Steam Girls had already released two singles as Kamen Joshi. Their masks are medieval armour helmets with visors, and they carry prop rifles (called "Armor Gun"). Musically, Armor Girls' songs incorporate elements from Irish and Celtic folk music, leading to a unique sound they call forest rock (森ロック, mori rokku). Because of this, the group is sometimes referred to as Irish Idols (アイリッシュアイドル, airisshu aidoru) in promotional texts,[5] but all members are Japanese.

  • Moa Tsukino (月野もあ) (ja) (group leader)
  • Waka Nozaki (野咲わか) (ja)
  • Saria Sēra (星流さりあ) (ja)
  • Mitsuki Sena (瀬名深月) (ja)
  • Ao Ueshita (上下碧)

Easter Girls (イースターガールズ)

Easter Girls is fourth group of Kamen Joshi, formed in Osaka. The group imagines an Easter festival. Easter Girls' songs incorporate sounds from Ska Rock.

  • Nonoa Aoi (蒼井乃々愛)
  • Hanon Nakamura (中村波音)
  • Makoto Tachibana (橘真琴)
  • Kokoro Seguchi (瀬口こころ)
  • Narumi Akatsuki (暁成実)

Slime Girls (スライムガールズ)

The group called Slime Girls is not an individual musical unit but rather a group of new entrees into Kamen Joshi not yet deemed capable enough to participate in the regular performances. They sometimes open for the regular group. The name likely refers to Slimes, the first monsters a player encounters in games like Dragon Quest and some versions of Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda. Slimes have therefor become a cultural icon in Japan representing low level or beginner tasks.

Discography

Singles
Release date Title Oricon[note 1] Ref.
March 6, 2013 "Kamen Joshi" 13 [6]
December 11, 2013 "Mousou Nikki" 4 [7]
January 1, 2015 "Genkidane" 1 [8]
January 3, 2017 "Kamen Tairiku ~Personia~/ISUMI ~Shikisai no Machi de~" 2 [9]

Albums
Release date Title
2021 (planned) (undecided)

DVDs
Release date Title Oricon Ref.
May 2, 2016 "Kamen Joshi One-Man Live Chikyu no Oheso in Saitama Super Arena" 13 [10]

Trivia

During the 2016 United States presidential election campaigning period, Kamen Joshi released a video voicing their support of Donald Trump, with a disclaimer stating that the video is only "entertainment", and "does not represent the political thoughts and beliefs of the members and their affiliated offices."[11]

References
  1. Peak ranking on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart.
  1. ボブ・サップが仮面女子のライブに乱入　立花あんなに催眠術を実施. www.billboard-japan.com (in Japanese). November 25, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. "Oricon Weekly Charts for 12/29 ~ 1/4". tokyohive. 6Theory Media, LLC. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  3. メンバー. www.alice-project.biz (in Japanese). Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  4. Meet Japan's Only Wheelchair Idol (in Japanese). Asian Boss. 2 Feb 2021.
  5. https://www.alice-project.biz/armorgirls
  6. 仮面女子. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  7. "妄想日記(Type-A)". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  8. "元気種☆(Type-A)". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  9. "仮面大陸～ペルソニア～/ISUMI～四季彩の街で～[Type-A]". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  10. 仮面女子ワンマンライブ in さいたまスーパーアリーナ. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  11. KAMEN JOSHI :IDOL MAGIC FOR TRUMP M-A-G-A!, retrieved 2020-04-25

Notes
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