#w.w.d

Dempagumi. Inc - W.W.D

There is not enough time or enough space here to tell you how important it is that Dempagumi.inc performed live at Hyper Japan. 

Founded in 2008, the group combine the popular concept of the ‘denpa song’ (off-key vocals and otaku themes), with elements of chiptune combined in a structure akin to Japan’s popular tradition of idol groups – a sort of transparently pre-manufactured riff on the boybands and girlbands that have risen to fame globally since music and mass-manufacture first got into bed together in the 1950s.

The idol industry in Japan is massive, with its largest proponents being the 140+ member group, AKB48.

Yet what Dempagumi.inc offer is a very different beast to the more traditional idol groups: comprised of six girls from different backgrounds in various fandoms, Denpagumi is a group that celebrates and draws attention to the fringe hobbies and traditions of Japan’s otaku culture, they are a voice unique to the 21st century, anthems fashioned for the socially awkward, for those who never let go of what others might deem as childish hobbies.

Dempagumi.inc make music for outsiders.

Standing near the front of the O2’s Building Six lower hall, the crowd around me is filled with kids in their early 20s and late teens dressed in cosplay and anime shirts, the stage is primed with sashimono akin to the banners samurai once wore into battle, and at the front, Dempagumi are dressed in stylised seifuku decorated with pen and ink caricatures of their own features.

As the music begins, there is a small group of fans at the front who begin their chant, hand over hand, clearing a space in the audience, before throwing themselves wildly in a chaotic whirl of movement that sends people bouncing off each other, and I can’t help but be reminded of the way in which hardcore gigs often descend into chaos.

Is too early to begin advocating the term otakucore, I wonder?

And yet there are also lessons learnt from Kathleen Hanna in the audience’s wild celebration of the music being played, intentional or not. At several times, I see the girl who plays Shizuku for popular maid café group, Maids of England standing hesitantly at the edges before being actively brought into the group by the chief instigators of the chaos and kept safe amidst the ferocity of the movement.

This is exactly how every gig should be.

On stage, though their set is not as long as it really should have been due to the structure of Hyper Japan’s time table, and there is no encore, Dempagumi are a frantic whirl of energy, all six girls flawless in both movement and performance, and I am constantly amazed by how much energy they manage to expend without tiring.

Again, though the set is short, there are a lot of significant songs played in the time afforded, not least of all, the group’s 2013 statement of intent, W.W.D. and popular single, Chururi Chururura. It comes as a slight disappointment that sequel song, W.W.D II is not played, nor is their cover of Sabotage by the Beastie Boys, but this is again an issue with the time frame, not the band themselves.

でんぱ組.inc - W.W.D

【生きる場所なんてどこにもなかった】でんぱ組.inc「W.W.D」Full ver.

W.W.D by Dempagumi.inc

WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG

"Wow, they have a horrible voice. How are they even professional? They're not even pretty at all. They're ugly as fuck." 

^ That's what my friend told me today when I showed him this video after he asked me what my current favorite song is. 

Ok. So I'll admit, not everybody loves denpa songs, and their voices are definitely not the kind that everybody would like. But why would you put into account their LOOKS? They might be idols, but they're human too. Just like any of us. 

Why does this song resonate with me so much? Why does it make me cry every time I listen to it? It's because I can relate SO MUCH to these lovely girls. 

Here's a bit of background on this song: 

This song was written and composed by Maeyamada Kenichi, or more commonly known as Hyadain (he sung the Nichijou opening theme songs, and he's extremely popular on nicovideo). He's written countless songs for this group, but this one in particular is essentially a biography on these girls and their pasts as well as their goals for the future now. He literally took into account the conversations these girls had with each other, what they have talked to him about, and even the comments they have said on stage to write this song. 

These girls are all otakus. And if you guys are aware, anybody who doesn't adhere to the norms within Japan tends to get left out or bullied. Each one of these girls have faced some types of problems of their own. After their self-introduction, the first few lines of this song are essentially their past selves. 

  Furukawa Mirin (color: red)- "Being bullied, I shut myself in my room.

The arcade was the only place I could call home." [When she was younger, much like the lyrics say, she was bullied at school, and she essentially became a hikikomori--a shut-in--and refused to come out. That is until she decided to go out of her room to try out arcades. She's a game otaku, so naturally, she thought if she could find a place at the arcade, she could indulge in her hobbies while actually leaving her room. It worked. She made friends at the arcade whom played against her at the arcades. But this was the reason she finally decided to leave her room.] 

  Yumemi Nemu (color: turquoise)- "I became desperate when my dreams were ripped to pieces.But suddenly I realized I was here smiling." [She used to attend an art university, but she began to compare herself to others, and other people have looked down on her. She herself has never gone into depth about her past, but the reason Hyadain left it at "my dreams were ripped to pieces" was because he himself thought that Nemu's experiences were too depressing to put into a song.] 

  Aizawa Risa (color: white)- "The radio was my only friend. Because of my chuunibyou (eighth-grade syndrome), everyone pulled away from me." [She only had a radio in her room, and she has stated that she had no friends as well, so she would spend hours listening to the radio. That's where she listened to seiyuus speaking, and the newest anime songs.] 

  Fujisaki Ayane (color: blue)- "I uploaded a lot of dance videos onto a video website. I was glued to my computer for views." [She also has stated that she stayed at home on the internet for hours on end. She's still a high school student, so she wasn't allowed to go in-depth about her experiences, but she posts videos of her dancing, and she also cosplays a large amount. She has cosplayed since she was little, and she has stated that she remembers even when she was little that people would look down on her for wearing cosplay at such a young age. They would bash her saying she shouldn't be indulging in those hobbies. Even if you go to view her dancing videos on nicovideo, there are many positive comments, of course, but there are just as many people who bash her for her looks in particular.] 

  Naruse Eimi (color: yellow)- "I admired anime and manga from the countryside. I live here now, in my holy land of Akiba." [In Japan, if you live in the country, the anime you can watch locally are either going to be broadcast weeks after its live broadcast, or it's not shown at all in those regions. But she was always a fan of anime and manga since she was little, and there was even a story about when the first episode of Pokemon was broadcast on television in Japan for the first time, one of the manga magazines she followed had a contest for those who were able to count the correct number of Pokemon that appeared on the episode. However, on her local country-side television networks, the first episode was expected to be broadcast after the contest would be over. So what she did then was run away from her own home to watch the episode at her relative's house in a different city. And because of her extreme anime choices, she could never speak well with people at school, so she herself was neglected by her classmates for being an outsider.] 

  Mogami Moga (color: purple)- "Forever and ever I shut myself in and played online games. My two hands weren’t enough, so I pushed the function key with my foot." [She was an internet gaming otaku, and she still is. Back in the days, she too was a hikikomori, and she stayed at home to play MMORPGs day in and day out. As these lyrics state, she would play with 3 different laptops at once to control all of her characters, so she would put one laptop on the ground to play with her feet. As such, she became extremely skilled at gaming and has been ranked extremely high, but she really had no friends or connections either.]

  So this is essentially how this song starts out, and even the lyrics don't go in-depth. But these issues these girls faced are not ones that people would so openly speak about. But their goal right now is to spread denpa music around the world. They want to spread their sub-culture to people outside of Japan. They want to sing FOR the people.

There are so many more things within this song that are just so deep, and every time they sing this song live, you can see them get emotional, and many times, they DO cry. They all love each other's company, and thinking about how far they have gotten when they used to be lonely and insignificant. 

That's why this song and this group resonates so much in my heart. They aren't just pushing their "looks" out there. They're doing this and always try to stay positive to bring power to other people. 

For complete lyrics, go here: 

http://tokyogirlsupdate.com/2013/01/english-translation-lyric-dempagumi-inc-w-w-d.html

I got background on their video from this interview and a few others that were on TV: 

http://natalie.mu/music/pp/dempagumi

But really. Please. Watch this video. 

" We didn’t have anywhere to call our own.