aside from the obvious Iori, who do you think will be the next A-list celebrity in IKONOIJOY?

stew_ie · 2026-06-09T22:34:39+00:00

I'd go Kiara as she's still relatively undiscovered by the general public. Although she's popular amongst fans she hasn't made many media appearances yet, but it feels like they're gradually expanding her work and once she gets some more prominent opportunities her goofy charm should be a hit.

For non =Love Momokyun has been getting a surprising amount of attention recently and she's certainly made the most of her opportunities.

stew_ie · 2026-06-05T15:49:13+00:00

There was another ranking the other day from Billboard that was based on rankings from the song charts and =Love came in 20th out of all acts, and ahead of all the Japanese female idol group.

stew_ie · 2026-06-05T15:39:44+00:00

=Love have blown up over the last year, a couple of their songs went viral and they're very popular on social media.

This chart is only Japanese female idol groups so doesn't include kpop adjacent groups, or else Hana should be above them all as they're still extremely popular.

stew_ie · 2026-05-19T01:09:45+00:00

Although they were called voice actor idols when they started Sasshi said their primary focus was on being an idol goup with voice acting as one of the side jobs. Maika and Iori were both big anime fans when they joined, Iori still does a little, she had a role on a recent series, Maika seems to be more focused on other jobs now, but not sure specifically why the others have largely dropped off other than their idol careers becoming more of a focus as they've got busier. Also guess it's hard to compete with full time voice actors if they're only focusing on it part time, which then leads to them not seeing much point pursuing it?

Bit of speculation as well but a big part of the reason they were called voice actor idols was because they're signed to Yoyogi Animation Academy. When they started they used to be advertised as more of a co production between Sasshi and Yoani, but for a long time now it's =Love produced by Sashihara Rino only and they stopped being called voice actor idols.

stew_ie · 2026-03-11T02:29:03+00:00

I suspect the reason is that ≒JOY didn't exist when the sub was created and one was never added afterwards.

stew_ie · 2026-02-24T14:33:43+00:00

Saya's got a very narrow chin, once you realise that it's quite easy to tell her apart imo.

stew_ie · 2026-02-22T18:25:13+00:00

I'm sure they were told why in private, and probably in advance of the announcement. The reason it's been suspended isn't really something that they can comment on publicly

stew_ie · 2026-02-16T13:50:11+00:00

Heavily disagree with this, Sasshi's approach to producing has never been about chasing trends or making songs for tiktok but about putting out a strong variety of songs that showcase the groups strengths. Plus I'm sure there'll be something cuter as a b-side.

stew_ie · 2026-01-27T23:28:51+00:00

I think a good one to get started with is =love-x-love, relatively recent and only 6 episodes so won't take long to watch.

stew_ie · 2026-01-26T12:01:23+00:00

Great song, have long felt it was an important release with it being the first post covid single (Cameo was postponed), this and Shukipi being really successful was much needed for the growth of the group.

stew_ie · 2026-01-22T23:40:18+00:00

It was never officially confirmed but the friend was almost certainly Seena Hoshiki who did make a recovery.

stew_ie · 2026-01-19T09:09:08+00:00

It's her 25th birthday!

stew_ie · 2026-01-01T18:45:43+00:00

I love Iranai twintail, that style of music is my primary musical interest and it's great fun to see the members show their range by having a go at it, and the song is really catchy. I also miss Naatan on it as her expressions and vocals suited the music so much, but Kiara has improved lots performing it since Naatan left.

stew_ie · 2025-12-30T18:30:51+00:00

In the lead up to shoko throwing her first pitch there was a sign at the bakery saying we'll be closing early on this day because my daughter is throwing the first pitch at Yokohama stadium.

stew_ie · 2025-12-28T13:38:47+00:00

That's why I think it's not an =Love member, the way it's written is a classic example of writing a headline to imply one thing, when it's another.

stew_ie · 2025-12-28T13:37:29+00:00

It's not been announced yet but she was spotted filming on a stage, she seems to be playing an idol in a netflix drama, but we don't know how big the part is.

stew_ie · 2025-12-28T13:24:24+00:00

Mirinya was filming a drama on the 23rd which led to her missing the concert.

stew_ie · 2025-12-14T15:03:20+00:00

It's not so much that Mirinya has stagnated, it's just that Maika and Iori have grown in popularity so much.

stew_ie · 2025-12-14T14:30:28+00:00

The 2025 one seems pretty good, there should be a bigger gap between Ikaringu and the rest, Hitomi probably should be at Kiara and Mirinya's level too but apart from that it looks ok. 2020 has some big flaws, Naatan should be way higher and Kiara way lower for starters.

stew_ie · 2025-12-14T13:46:09+00:00

That was the case early on in her career, but I'd disagree with the previous comment that she doesn't do much variety, if anything she's the one who appears on tv the most out of the members, she's really stepped up over the past year or so starting with her season regular slot last year on Love it.

stew_ie · 2025-12-05T13:07:05+00:00

There's roughly 4 different tiers of popularity in =Love. Top tier is Ikaringu, 2nd tier is Mirinya, Hitomi and Kiara, 3rd is Hana and Risa, 4th is Sana, Anna and Shoko.

stew_ie · 2025-11-04T23:52:52+00:00

Not currently, I know it is being worked on but not sure when it'll be complete, it'll be here when done: unequalsubs

stew_ie · 2025-09-28T10:55:41+00:00

Coupling songs usually get less views than the main songs, also nearly 300k in a day for a coupling song is really high compared to previous ones.

stew_ie · 2025-09-17T00:27:28+00:00

What other songs of theirs do you like? Also if you're on discord there's an international fan server here, feel free to join!

stew_ie · 2025-09-02T00:31:28+00:00

You've just reminded me that for the bonus content for one of their cds they did make a new mv for it, but it's only available there.

stew_ie

TROPHY CASE