=LOVE (イコールラブ, イコラブ, ikorabu, eqlove)

Based on the Showroom she said she feels embarrassed that her attitude lead the members to believe it was her account.

She also admitted to having a bad attitude 3years ago and apologized for it. Later she said a lot of things may come up from now on but she said she will just continue to work hard. She also believes people may have a hard time believing her.

i dont think you should think that much about this, it feels like a typical young girl fight that just got blown up because of SNS ^_^

 

Naatan was briefly on SHOWROOM a little earlier today (credit to uploader):

EDIT: video removed by uploader, alternative link:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ty4y1V7Ef

She was definitely talking about the incident and she seemed to be a little tearful but my Japanese is nowhere near good enough to make good sense of what she said. Hopefully this is indeed a small storm which will soon blow over.

 

Anna's Showroom (210814) with high tension Mirinya, Iori and other members!

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pq4y1S734

if the video does not show watch the video here

============

Naatan on Pokemon no Uchi Atsumaru? 210814

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1uL4y1e7q3

============

Oshi wo Atsumete 210814


if the video does not show watch the video here

===========

Maika as a guest on Asumi Kana's Hoshizora Hinata Gokko 210813

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1mP4y1W7bv

===========

bloopers of Kimi to Natsu Fes video


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

WINTER TOUR「You all are “My ideal”」June 22nd (day) 2021 at TOKYO NAKANO SUNPLAZA【For J-LOD live】


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

I've got two questions concerning the group.
While I've been loving their music since day one, I never learned about the members or their history.
I was doing some research about them today yet, and two things came to my mind, which I didn't find an answer about on this thread.

1) It appears the girls all come from the "yoyogi animation academy"? It is their school? Some girls were very young at the time the group debuted so it seems weird. What is YAA about?

2) Do they have members colors to support them? I can't seem to find any source about it.

 

It is a school, and it's related to anime. The school seems to have a lot of graduates in very successful franchises now, including Pokémon, Attack on Titan and Detective Conan. You can look at their website https://www.yoani.co.jp/global-en/

I've found this blog post
https://www.kioblog.com/eqlove-color/

Otani Emiri - white x pink
Oba Hana - orange x blue
Otoshima Risa - light blue x dark pink
Saito Kiara - dark pink
Saito Nagisa - pink
Sasaki Maika - white
Takamatsu Hitomi - red
Takiwaki Shoko - yellow x orange
Noguchi Iori - purple
Morohashi Sana - green
Yamamoto Anna - yellow x blue

Nonno's colour was blue

 

no, it's not their school, it's their agency (like AKS). Yoyogi Animation Academy (or YOANI in short) is the oldest animation school in Japan, they teach various specialists that are related to animation including voice actors so from time to time they try to create seiyuu idol groups. in 2017 they already had a seiyuu idol group called "YOANI 1-nen C-gumi", but it was more like school club than an actual idol group with activities in showbiz, releases, etc., so YOANI decided to create a real idol group that would promote the school to outside world, I guess. at first, they wanted Yasusu to be a producer of that group, but he suggested Sasshi in his place (both were lecturers in YOANI at that time, btw). so YOANI agreed and this is how =LOVE was created. btw, Oba Hana is the only =LOVE member who was picked from the former YOANI 1-nen C-gumi group, other girls have no previous connections to YOANI.

they don't have "hardcoded" colors like Momoiro Clover Z, but in 2019 their light stick colors were something like this

https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q12231553347

upd: another one from 2021
https://ameblo.jp/equal-love-345/entry-12633476077.html

=============

IkoNoi, Dou desu ka? #18 (210816)

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1cb4y1S7Xx

#17 with additional footage in the end

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Qf4y1V76r

 

News : https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=000000255.000030133&g=prt

=LOVE & ≠ME will be appearing in the

17LIVE 超ライブ配信祭〜4th Anniversary〜
17LIVE Super LIVE Broadcast Matsuri 〜4th Anniversary〜


【日　程】2021年9月22日（水）

【時　間】16:00〜20:00　( Tokyo Time +9 GMT )

Live Broadcast Account：17LIVE_REALEVENT（https://17.live/ja/profile/r/415264 ）

Event Details：https://vmo.17.media/12489-2108-jp-anniversary4


& yes ... special broastcast Program !!


≠ME Miruten's 17Live 4th Anniversary Congratulation~ten !



番組名】「≠ME みるてんの17LIVE 4周年おめでとてん!」

【日　程】2021年8月23日（月）

【時　間】19:00〜

【出　演】MC: ALCO & PEACE / Otani Emiri、Oba Hana、Anna Yamamoto (=LOVE）/ Hitomi Suzuki、Nanaka Tomita、Honda Miyuki (≠ME)



Live Stream Account：IkoNoi_official（https://17.live/ja/profile/r/15679760 ）

 

Thank you @bonjourmarlene and @fatrain for answering my questions.

Edit after getting my thoughts straightened by a good night of sleep:

The members colors thing is interesting. I feel like idols having a member color is a very important part of the "support your favorite idol" culture, and a member's color is usually a good indicator of the type of idol she is (pink=girly, yellow=lively, red=center). The girls not having obvious colors give them freedom of developpement, but at the same time it takes away the easiness of showing one's support to a girl and being noticed for it (I understand the need for two colors in a group with 12/11 members (24/23 counting Noiimi) but I'm not fond of the principle. Look at all the members who include pink in their color scheme. Not so easy to spot the fans of each member in this regard).

To put it shortly, it's interesting that such an idol-y idol group doesn't follow the usually "each member received their official color" pattern.

 

Anna will celebrate 4 years of her doing Showrooms every day on another Showroom that will start in about half an hour!

https://www.showroom-live.com/LOVE_ANNA_YAMAMOTO

==========

Kimi wa =LOVE wo Aiseru ka 210818

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1qy4y1V7Zo

===========

Iori introduces new manga


if the video does not show watch the video here

=============

looks like =LOVE and =/ME will perform on the 3rd day of TIF on October 3.

https://official.idolfes.com/s/tif2021/page/lineup?ima=2136

===========

WINTER TOUR「You all are “My ideal”」 June 22nd (night) 2021 at TOKYO NAKANO SUNPLAZA【For J-LOD live】


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

this anniversary Showroom


if the video does not show watch the video here

=========

IkoTime 210819


if the video does not show watch the video here



===========

Shoko is so active that even her Showrooms are streamed from inside a tent


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Oshi wo Atsumete 210821


if the video does not show watch the video here

==========

nice long interview

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/saitotakashi/20210821-00254005

============

according to Billboard, Seishun "Subliminal" became 19th most sold single in 2021 with 214k copies sold!

https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO74138670T20C21A7000000/

 

Wow 214k?! Thought they were around 170k
Really good rise

 

The MV for one of the new single coupling songs, 'Zuttomo anken' with Naatan and Hitomi w-center has just been released:


if the video does not show watch the video here

In the video notes it says that the lyrics have been written by Miyawaki Sakura and Murashige Anna!

(and AFAICS the title translates as 'Friends for Life Project')

 

wow, that's unexpected!
Sasshi already entrusted choreography and MV directing to 48g members in the past but I somehow assumed lyrics was "the only stronghold" Sasshi wouldn't want to give up to someone else. I guess I was wrong and her love for members is much stronger than that
should have noticed it earlier when she entrusted rap lyrics to Fuwa-chan. I guess, next evolutionary step will be entrusting choreo/MV directing/lyrics to =LOVE members

 

According to Oricon probably, but Billboard is always a bit higher. As far as I remember it's because Billboard counts shipments and Oricon counts actual purchases (with a limit of 20 per purchase, so bulk buying won't push the single too high).

I think Sasshi really enjoyed doing it here and there during her own time as an idol, and it's not really encouraged or at least not seen a lot that a member of 48g participates in any of the production of the songs, except performing it. I assume she must think she'd like her girls to be able to have that freedom, if they want to! I really appreciate that.

I also really like the song! Sakura has written lyrics before, for IZ*ONE, and she did pretty well. I'm happy with the music video too, it's very cute. That makes 2 songs on this single that have had some involvement from Sasshi's 48g friends

 

Maika centered coupling song called "Natsu Matsuri Koi Shitau" premiered!
how can there be such coincidences?


if the video does not show watch the video here

BRODY with Maika on the cover goes on sale today as well

video messages from Maika and Iori

https://twitter.com/brody20150821/status/1427571023000440832
https://twitter.com/brody20150821/status/1427577813532512261

 

HELL YESS !!! MY WISH CAME TRUE !!!!!!
( though was hoping Shoko
19×19
but still it will be fun to watch her )

@saito_nagisa
9月5日、夜8時からの
『逃走中』に出演させていただきます

Naatan to Appear in 5th Sept's Run for Money
ooo I hope she survive long enough .......
now to see if she's the Do the mission type or those that hide in corners

 

^ awesome! Run for Money is a popular show.
the only chance for Naatan to survive long enough is to hide though, there is no way she'll run away from hunters

==========

btw, looks like one of choreographers of Natsu Matsuri Koi Shitau, Mitsui Hiromi, was 1st gen SDN48 member! I wonder if all songs of this single will have some kind of input from 48g members?

 

I applied for AKB48 handshakes yesterday and won all the slots I applied for, so I've become brave and applied for some =LOVE slots! I've applied for handshakes with Emiri and Nagisa respectively, for the 9th single, but I've also come across this, for the 24 Girls Concert DVD & Blu-ray: https://fortunemusic.jp/el_202110_sign/

I thought about applying for this too, it opens up again on Wednesday, but I believe it says you can only apply from within Japan. I'm worried now, it's not a requirement for the single, is it? This is the page for the single handshakes: https://fortunemusic.jp/el_202107/

I can't see anything, but I'd be very relieved if someone with higher Japanese proficiency could confirm for me that I am eligible to apply for the single handshake! Thank you