To Be A True Fukei...

Okay, I'm not about to try to come up a one thing that makes someone a "true" fukei, or even try to concoct some certain magic combination of things that will imbue you with Super Fukei powers. The fanbase of Babymetal/Sakura Gakuin is far too diverse, with people coming from all kinds of different means and backgrounds and corners of the world. We all do what we can. And of course some of us are just starting out and simply haven't had the opportunity to devote the time to do many of the things on an exhaustive list.

Okay, wait...I lied; there is probably one thing that everyone must conform to in order to be considered a true fukei, and that is to support our girls. That's why we are all here, after all.

That said, I've come up with a list of items that either I have done or know other people who have done them. If you have done at least some of them, you know the struggle and you can certainly be counted as a true fukei. Here goes:

1. You have devoted hours to learning all of the girl's names and can recognize them by face, or in some cases, just an ear or an arm

2. You've been confronted by worried family or friends about your interests

3. You've taken a job (or an extra job) to support your merch habit

4. You've sent merch or fan art to a friend you met through Babymetal/SG, but have never met IRL

5. You've met an online friend IRL specifically because of Babymetal/SG (concerts, conventions, etc.)

6. You still call Ooga Saki "Baby-chan"

7. You've started to learn Japanese

8. You've started a Facebook page, website, blog, or some other type of fansite


9. You've rearranged your work, school, or sleep schedule to watch LoGiRL

10. You've maxed out a drive or online storage account with Babymetal/SG videos & pictures

11. You've traveled to another country for a concert

12. You openly discuss your crying jags after watching RTGs

13. You've literally had to stay in bed the day after a Sakura Gakuin graduation

14. You've named a pet or child after one of the girls, or at least had a very loud argument about it

15. You know how many of the girls have never participated in Mezase Super Lady, and you can name all of them

16. You've turned off your Babymetal news alerts on Google because they only report stuff that you found out like a week ago

17. You have bootlegs of Chigau and Awadama Fever

18. You can talk to a stranger about the significance of the number 4 in Japan for at least 60 seconds non-stop

19. You've redecorated your room in a Babymetal/SG theme

20. You've had stickers, posters, or shirts custom printed

21. You've ever told someone "Tenso is so easy, I don't know what I was so worried about"

22. You refer to Shirai Saki as "one of us"

23. You can pick yourself or friends out of concert footage

24. You used to desperately want English subs and now you don't even care

25. You're already thinking about whether Sara or Mirena will be the next president (it will be Sara)

26. You read articles about Babymetal online and compose a mental list of glaring factual errors as you go along

27. You experienced the emotional rollercoaster of Honjo Day

28. You have Babymetal money

29. You've contracted carpal tunnel syndrome from non-stop kitsune-ing

30. You held serious discussions where you were seriously concerned about Moa's fitness for performing in a high altitude venue

31. You have ever offered a burnt sacrifice to Kitsune-sama or the Amuse Board of Directors

32. Your life has immeasurably improved since our girls danced into it

I'm sure I left out a ton of things. Let me know if you can think of any others...

How I Accepted Baby-chan Into My Life

My last post focused on the incredible amount of vitriol dedicated towards Notsu Yunano.  I mentioned that I was not innocent of some of this online ijime. I still do engage in some playful teasing every now and then, but my appreciation for her has deepened considerably as time has passed.

As I mentioned in my last video, Yunano is not the only SG girl to fall victim to the derision of the fukei; I've seen it also directed towards C-tan, Rinon, and Aiko. One person I mistakenly left of the list was the other Saki, Baby-chan. Which is an inexcuable omission on my part, because for a while there, she was my least favorite SG member.

I didn't really discover Sakura Gakuin until probably around May of 2014. I first learned of Babymetal on March 3 of that year, and my obsession with them inevitably led me to discovering their roots in SG. At that time, I was too awash in the abundant backlog of Sakura Gakuin videos (usually English-subbed) to pay much attention to the current 2014 nendo. At first, I focused only on material that contained Su, Yui & Moa. So Ooga Saki had long been a member by the time I was exposed to her - and I felt an immediate, visceral dislike towards her. I'm ashamed to admit that it was mostly prejudice based on her looks: she seemed too cloyingly saccharine, and I imagined her admittance into Sakura Gakuin was a cynical effort to find a replacement for Moi as they were growing older and maturing, AS IF THEY WERE REPLACEABLE!  There really wasn't any more to it than that.

Now, I didn't actually hate her or anything - I didn't even really spend any time at all considering why she was my least favorite member. It was just a feeling I always had in the back of my mind when she appeared on camera or in pictures. It certainly had nothing to do with either her talent or character, as she had done nothing I was aware of for me to disapprove of her on those grounds. She performed quite well, in fact. It's pretty embarrassing to look back on how I had such negative feelings for her - they were not strong feelings, but still - it seems pretty shallow of me.

Anyway, this whole thing was turned around in short order after I watched a couple of videos. The first one was Sakura Gakuin vs. Idoling (thanks for your work, Mr. Thomas Malone). The way she comes to the aid of her fellow members and beats up the mean announcer guy who was so mean to the other girls with his meanness pretty much forced me to do a 180. Seeing her leap to action, she melted my cold heart:

The other video, which I saw a little later, cemented my admiration for Baby-chan. In this MUJAK video, she tells of how she likes to do opposite-sex cosplay. It's adorable, and I love how she follows her passions wherever they lead her - that takes bravery!

And ever since then, she's been one of my favorites. I'm so glad I was able to come to my senses and see the true nature of Ooga Saki. I think her voice is one of the strongest in the current Sakura Gakuin lineup (which probably isn't really saying that much, but I'll get to that in another post). 

P.S.

As I spoke earlier of Yunano and my changing opinions of her, I would be remiss if I didn't advise everyone to watch her performance in this J-drama Hagane No Onna (Woman of Steel). She did a really, really good job...I'm so proud of her!!