A New Generation with Fresh Energy and Timeless Innocence

The brand new shining lights of SUPERNOVA KAWASAKI welcomed an enthusiastic crowd on January 18th as Baby’z Breath were closing their triple one-man tour. After shows in Osaka and Nagoya, the group finished in high spirits with a double performance in the Tokyo area.

While it was our first time meeting MFIVE and Stand-Up!’s newest production, we still got to reunite with two familiar faces! 

Still under the producer eye of former Afilia Saga Yukafin, Baby’z Breath stands as a spiritual successor to one of Bonjour Idol’s long-time favorites, Iketeru Hearts, covering numerous songs from their late seniors as they are still building their original discography. Two of Iketeru Hearts’ fourth generation, Kumamoto Miwa and Minami Ichigo, even joined Baby’z Breath as founding members!

As the audience cheered to the name of the group displayed on the giant LED screen, the six members showed up on stage. Wearing turquoise blue outfits with frilly skirts, they kicked it off with two of their original songs. The elegantly cheerful PROTOSTAR is a B-side from their first single. Namida no Squall is one of their more recent tracks, as Baby’z Breath danced and sang in front of a lyrics video, making sure their fans were introduced to the meaning of the song!

Being the spiritual little sisters of Iketeru Hearts, Baby’z Breath then moved onto covers of some of the late group’s beloved discography! Starting with bubbly and girly Otomegokoro, they then brought out the EDM riffs of HEARTS OF JOURNEY.

The members then split in two units ; the very energetic Miwa, Ichigo, Maika and Harune stayed on stage to hype it up a bit more with Shrimp Girl, under the usual “ebi ebi~” (shrimp, shrimp) calls from the audience. Then, Baby’z Breath vocalist duo, Rei and Sakura, covered In the name of Love ~Ai to iu mei no moto ni~ in an emotional yet hopeful rendition. Everyone then regrouped for Iketeru Hearts’ last single, Endless Evolution.

A short pause was the right moment for the girls to flaunt their brand new costumes with the fans, pointing out all the charming details tying its design to the name of the group. They specifically showed the frilly accessories on their wrists, ornate with butterflies made of lace, as well as small touches of each member’s color.

Baby’z Breath then introduced the next song - a brand new swing-style track named Gimme!! Gimme!!, that got the entire audience waving their hands along with their idols. They followed with their first single A-side, Donna mirai demo.

We then went back on a throwback streak with a few Iketeru Hearts-era classics such as Drawing again, before circling back to their original songs. Kimi Rashiku Are is a hopeful guitar-backed anthem with the type of chorus that gets easily stuck in your head! Then, Run to the STAR brought a more dramatic vibe to the show, with this very recognizable production style reminiscent of some fan-favorites songs from their seniors at Junjou no Afilia such as Sore dake ga, Ikiru imi nanda.

The main part of the show ended in high spirits and familiar fashion, with fans cheering along to Lumica Jane, before Baby’z Breath brought back their own remastered rendition of Kibou no Chizu.

Of course, we never leave without an encore call - one that started strong as the audience waved their glowsticks along to KAKERA.

The girls paused for a bit, to reveal the official announcement of the night: they introduced two new members to the group, Yoshino Mizuho and Soraki Yuzu, set to debut in February! Some regulars were quite excited as both of them are already active as maidens of the Afilia cafés chain, as well as Mizuho being an experienced solo voice actress.

After another performance of Donna mirai demo, the members of Baby’z Breath tried to bow down to officially end the show - but their production staff had something else in mind!

The girls were surprised by another announcement video… revealing plans for the group’s second single release next summer! The surprise was welcomed with loud screams and cheers from both idols and fans, as Maika even started crying on stage at the news.

Baby’z Breath are taking baby steps as fresh idols, but are already followed by a solid and loyal fanbase, from years of cheering for other beloved groups of the same production team - whether still active or not. 

As the spiritual successors of one of our personal favorites at Bonjour Idol, we very much look forward to following and watching them bloom too!