Japan Expo Thailand 2020: Girl’s Bomb!! Event
Japan Expo Thailand 2020 held their 6th edition this last weekend of January. The convention took place in Bangkok from January 31st to February 2nd in the huge Central World Bangkok shopping mall under the theme of 2020 “TOGETHER, WE ARE ONE”. 17 zones were set up to allow visitors of all ages and nationalities to discover or rediscover the many facets of Japan: anime, art, culture, fashion, travel, education, technology, business, food and of course music and idols!
Thanks to the Girl’s Bomb!! event, idol fans were able to attend the lives of several groups this year, such as Wonder Weed, READY TO KISS, SAY-LA or Lovely☆Doll, but also FES☆TIVE, Wa-suta, CoverGirls and 7Land. Girl’s Bomb!! is known in Japan for organizing taiban, i.e. concerts where several bands follow one another during a day or an evening with performances usually lasting between 15 to 20 minutes. The ideal event to discover plenty of new groups! This was also the concept for Japan Expo Thailand, with live performances that varied between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the stage, enough to enjoy a big variety of different styles and atmospheres.
CoverGirls
CoverGirls technically exists since 2011. But, following a suspension of the group’s activities in 2018, they started a new chapter with a brand new generation of 6 members. The band had already come to Bangkok in 2019 for the previous edition of Japan Expo Thailand, and they were back to meet their fans with one concert a day and even a restaurant dinner with them on Saturday night! The six young girls managed to create a very good atmosphere on stage, even though this new generation is still young. We have just learned a few days ago about Noda Hitomi’s graduation and this trip to Thailand has probably become important for the fans who will cherish these last moments with their favorite idol.
CoverGirls – Official Website CoverGirls – Twitter CoverGirls – Instagram CoverGirls – Youtube
7Land
7land (also spelled Nanaland) is, as its name suggests, a group of seven idols formed at the end of 2017 and which some of you may formerly know as drop. Starting in 2014, the group disbanded in 2017 but three members from drop later joined 7land. Today, two of the three members are still in the group, namely Oba Haruka (in green) and Kohinata Mai (in orange). The fans at their two live shows on Friday and Saturday were on absolute fire and showed that they mastered all the calls and mix! 7land especially sang “Joudan Janai ne”, one of the most popular drop songs, later brought to light and success by their sister group Maneki Kecak. Impossible to sit still with these seven girls and their overflowing energy!
7LAND – Official Website 7LAND – Twitter 7LAND – Youtube
Wa-suta
The World Standard, abbreviated Wa-suta, is a 5-member band from the Idol Street label. You may have met them in France during the 2017 edition of Japan Expo Paris, or in other conventions all over the world. As its name suggests, Wa-suta is an international band that wants to share the “kawaii” Japanese idol culture around the world and through social networks. In addition to Japanese, each member speaks a second language: English, Chinese, Spanish or Korean. A real asset that will delight more than one foreign fan! Their flagship tracks were also in the spotlight, such as their famous first song “Inu Neko Seisun Massakari” which contributed to the group’s popularity later on. Or how about “Ultra Miracle Final Ultimate Choco Beam” during which Ruka threw a plastic hammer signed by all the members in the audience?
Wa-suta – Official Website Wa-suta – Twitter Wa-suta – Instagram Wa-suta – Youtube Wa-suta – Facebook
FES☆TIVE
FES☆TIVE is already well-known to the Thai audience. This is not the first time they have visited Thailand and they even started their Thai sister group SUMOMO in November 2019. The festivities took place during all 3 days of the convention on both stages, getting the whole mall dancing. If you only had to remember one song, keep in mind “OIDEMASE!! 〜Gokuraku〜”. Just type these keywords into YouTube and you’ll see a crowd of fans dancing left and right following the dance moves of the members on the stage! Foreign fans have nothing to be ashamed of compared to their Japanese counterparts in terms of wota performance and support. South East Asian fans definitely know their stuff! Good job guys!
FES☆TIVE – Official Website FES☆TIVE – Twitter FES☆TIVE – Instagram FES☆TIVE – Youtube FES☆TIVE – Facebook
Girl’s Bomb!! is a series of idol events and festivals based in Tokyo, Japan. Many events are organized on a regular basis in Tokyo but also throughout Japan every week, in which you can meet your favorite idols. More information available on their Twitter account:
Girl’s Bomb!! – Twitter Girl’s Bomb!! – Official site
Photos by Jonathan.
Article and translation by Jonathan.