Talking About Boku-Ao

1. Nana Shiogama A person of true passion. She once aspired to be a police officer but didn't make it; she then aimed to be a childcare worker but decided to become an idol, following her motto: "When in doubt, choose the more intense path." I remember a "hidden camera" prank on YouTube where they asked, "If you got an offer from Hollywood, would you choose Boku-Ao or...

Autumn 2024 was all about "Boku-Ao Sai" (the group's festival). I couldn't attend, so I don't have much to write about firsthand. I really wanted to go, though. I think it was around this time that they started live-streaming parts of their concerts on TikTok. That makes me so happy. But for some reason, the app notifications for the start of the lives never seem to reach me?...

The summer of 2024 arrived along with the "One-man Live." It was my first time seeing Boku-Ao in person. As the staff blog mentioned later, the highlight of this concert was undoubtedly the long MC segment. When Mocchie, the first one to speak, started talking for quite a while, I thought, "Wait, if everyone talks like this, how long is this going to take?" And sure enough, it...

Around this time in the spring of 2024, when the release of the third single was announced, my personal top news was—"Eren got a short haircut!!" Even I’m thinking, "Wait, that’s your headline!?" But yes, that was it for me. But, you know, I wonder what made her decide to cut her hair. Was it simply because she wanted a shorter style for the summer, or was there some other reas...

The end of 2023 was so much fun! I couldn't make it to the "One-man Live Volume 0," but the reviews seemed really good. Then on Christmas, there was a YouTube live stream. Having the entire group together for a live stream is something I'm truly grateful for. On the other hand, that stream also made it very clear who was already capable of speaking confidently and who still had a...

I think the autumn of 2023—their first year—might have been the time when fans felt the most anxious. Especially for a fan like me who doesn’t go to real-world events and mostly follows them through social media and blogs. I couldn't help but wonder: "Is Boku-Ao just going to fade away like this?" They debuted at the end of August. Immediately after, there were announcements like &qu...

"Oh? Another idol group just like the others?" That was my first impression. It was mid-July 2023. The music video for "Ao-Zora ni tsuite Kangaeru" (Thinking about the Blue Sky) popped up in my YouTube recommendations. Since I was already subscribed to the Nogizaka46 channel, it wasn't exactly a surprise that the algorithm found me. I ignored it for a while, but it kept sho...

https://medium.com/@bloom0803ba/1eb7704ece5b #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....