ToyCon PH 2022 “Aidoru Sekai”: The First of Many

Three weeks ago, we witnessed a reemergence of the local idol scene. The pandemic halted 2 years’ worth of activities that could have helped flourish the growing culture here in the Philippines. This 2022, ToyCon PH introduced Aidoru Sekai as a means to showcase local talents. The event featured 8 groups: Asfire, Bella6ix, Color up! Project, Miqx, Pastel Mix, P7eiades, Starlight, and Urodia.

I will be writing about the groups from both a performer’s and a fan’s perspective. I was an idol for around a year and a half, and have continued to perform even after that. And while I have not delved into the J-pop culture of the more recent years, I was definitely a fan for much longer than I was an idol. In this article, I will be talking about each group one by one, in order of appearance.

PAFIPURO

The performances opened with Dream Parade by  i☆Ris, which was performed by the Pastel Mix x Asfire x Color Up! Project unit: Pafipuro. I like the idea of using a collab as an opening. It emphasizes a sense of camaraderie, which is what this event is all about.

The group had some synchronization problems with the dance, which was expected since I can imagine not having enough time for in-person practice with Pastel Mix members coming all the way from Davao. During this song, Color Up! Project’s members stood out to me with how Rainy started the song and Aoi’s stable dance in the chorus.

ASFIRE

The Pafipuro performance was followed by a song by Asfire called “Paglubog ng Araw.” It was a nice song that I could see myself appreciating even outside the idol context. Aira stood out to me as she had very sharp moves even during the opening Pafipuro song. She also had stable vocals and a good stage presence. To me, she seemed like the person who enjoyed being on stage the most. As for her co-member Maxu, it was very visible and audible that she was struggling. Though to be fair, they performed immediately after the energetic opening number. After the performance, they plugged their original songs and introduced Pastel Mix to the stage.

PASTEL MIX

The trio performed Namidane Bakuhatsuon by Walkure from the anime Macross Delta, which is a powerful song exceptionally performed by all three members. While I was hooked on Miichan’s energy, I find that Kanon was the most stable performer, as I noticed some timing mistakes with Miichan. As for Thea, she stood out as the center amongst the three with a dazzling stage presence. Their experience really shone through, being the best group in the afternoon set.

COLOR UP! PROJECT

Color Up! Project came after and performed the Yoasobi song Sangenshoku. I personally think the song is too high for them. Their voices were very soft and airy during the performance. These two’s MC skills are good though. Rainy had a good rapport with the audience and had a professional tone while Aoi filled up the rising dead air with a quick reminder to visit their cheki booth.

P7EIADES

Being the first group to perform a full set, I felt like they had the most personality out of everyone during their MC time. Out of the 3 songs they performed, the song that stood out to me was their Cupid in Love performance which seemed very well practiced. The song had a lot of blocking changes in the choreography. While it was not a perfect performance, it was definitely well done. For this group, I have 2 standouts. First is Meri who I thought was the most stable and had good vocals while the other one is Zie, with her expressiveness while dancing. She can definitely catch anyone’s eye with her facial expressions, even when she’s not the one in the center singing.

BELLA6IX

As for the final group of the afternoon set, we have Bella6ix. They also performed 3 songs, opening with Spy x Family’s theme song “Comedy” performed by their 2-member vocal unit consisting of Zyy and Zahara. I like Zahara’s voice, which I find very cute and sweet sounding.

After a short technical difficulty, they performed their original song “Hot Summer.” I really feel that the song needs some sort of choreography since the song featured the members just standing and swaying aimlessly. Zyy totally stole the show, as she had the most stage presence and felt like she was really having fun. Her rap part was also the best part of the song, with her energy really hooking the crowd.

The last song was a cover of the song Kinikilig by Hazel Faith, a surprising song for an idol-centric event. Even so, it definitely worked out for the group, as it was the song that suited them the most. What I would love to see more from this group is more intentionality with their performances, as some lack power to their step.

MIQX

Miqx was the opening act for the evening set. This group was straight-up phenomenal. The best group of the day. I knew nothing about this group going into this event, but I came out a fan. They were not perfect, and would still need to work on synchronization and vocals, but this should be the standard for the performance level. Great energy from all members. Even on their vocal-centric cover of Hikaru Nara, they weren’t just standing and waiting their turn. Shazupyon is a standout performer but does not outshine her members. The songs were balanced, with a mix of idol songs, anime songs, and a performance of the viral Otona Blue by Atarashii Gakkou.  A thing to note was that everyone’s stamina held through even after 7 songs, which to me is an indication of dedication, hard work, and passion.

URODIA

Miqx was a tough act to follow, but Urodia came in with great impact. Their tagline was “Breaking the Norm” and they definitely did. Their set featured songs from BiSH and BiS, which are alternative Japanese idol groups leaning more into punk and rock. Out of all the groups, this group had the most dedicated fanbase, only really standing up and cheering when they arrived on stage. While the steps were simple, it was clean and their vocals really shined. Compared to the usual high-pitched idol songs, their songs showcased their deep vocals and both members had a great energy to them. While it was unfortunate that the group wasn’t complete, with Raven being absent due to health concerns, Reiri and Mystie really rocked their set. Reiri really hyped up the crowd throughout their three songs. Side note, I also liked their costumes the best.

STARLIGHT

Starlight took the stage in their colorful costumes. While it wasn’t their very first live performance, as they also appeared on stage the day before, it is still their first event. A lot of rookie mistakes were made, but they seemed especially grateful for the opportunity.

Despite accidentally dropping her mic, Chelle was the group’s standout performer for me. Donned in blue, Chelle’s vocals were one of my favorites, and her new haircut looks good on her (she had violet hair in the group’s official photos). Ayame also stood out, being the tallest member among all the idols present. She did well with writing the lyrics to their original song, a reflection of their appreciativeness. More experiences like this would be good for them, as well as a bit more practice.

After all the group performances, it all became a blur to me. Pafipuro entered the stage once again to perform another set. This was followed by a short cover of Snow Halation by Pastel Mix to end the night. While this was happening, a thing that I noticed is that while the local idol scene does have an audience, it is still a niche. People outside the stage area are generally uninterested in the segment. And while that is expected, wouldn’t it be better if we could draw in the general public more?

For the idol scene to be respected in the Philippines, we will need a higher caliber of showmanship. The ability to catch people’s hearts is the name of the game in Japan, and while this can be done through a shining personality there, the criteria for the local audience is much different. While there are people that can appreciate the girls’ journey to improvement, only a few will be willing to stay through their growing pains. In the Philippines, you really have to prove yourself first before people take notice.

ToyCon is the first big idol event that we had in a while. Most of these groups did come from a long hiatus, simply because there were no events to participate in. Also, most of these groups manage themselves. No one is really teaching them things such as how to hold their microphone properly, or when to breathe in between the singing and the dancing. When to put more impact in their movements, and when to let loose. These small things accumulate, and when these groups learn these things, it can significantly improve their stages.

To the girls, I would like to congratulate every single one of you for braving the stage. I hope that this is the first of many more live performances, and I look forward to your growth. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to the organizers of ToyCon that really made space for our local idol scene. I really hope that more events follow suit, to help uplift and revitalize the talents we have. The potential is there, and with a little more training and experience, they will be ready for take-off.